English Language Partners (ELP) joins Race Relations Day events to celebrate our multicultural Aotearoa New Zealand.

This year’s Race Relations Day theme, ‘E haere tahi ana / Walking together,’ shares the belief that although we all belong to different communities in Aotearoa, we’re on the same journey of building a more inclusive country grounded on Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

English Language Partners is proud to walk together with newer Kiwis as they settle into their new lives – we know the journey is easier when people support each other.

Throughout New Zealand, we connect with people from over 150 ethnicities and, as our work brings us into contact with such immense diversity, we’re fortunate to have the guidance and support of our Ethnic Advisory Group (EAG).

This amazing group of Kiwis hail from non-English speaking countries, and they make an invaluable contribution to English Language Partners. Working voluntarily, members give voice to the needs and challenges of ELP’s learner communities – their experience and expertise strengthens our work.

Our EAG members are from Bhutan, China, Colombia, Egypt, France, Korea, Myanmar, Nigeria and Syria. Some have lived in New Zealand for many years and others arrived more recently. All are committed to helping our newer migrants overcome the challenges of adjusting to life in New Zealand.

Some of our EAG members recently reflected on their partnership with English Language Partners, and we are very proud to share their thoughts here over the coming days:

Joanne Lee:

ELP is willing to help migrants and former refugees out not only in learning English but also in all aspects.
ELP는 이민자들에게 영어 교육 뿐만이 아닌 다양한 도움을 주고자합니다.

“When people migrate to different countries as adults, they are required to not only learn the local language to live with, but are also thrown into a situation where they must relearn everything and start all over again from the very beginning just as though they are a child.  Most migrants, including myself, encounter numerous awkward situations sooner or later when arrived in Aotearoa, getting confused as a result of the cultural differences and ideologies.

Not only does ELP provide English lessons to former refugees and migrants, but individuals also receive practical and useful information during classes such as NZ cultures, lifestyles, current news and job-seeking skills and so on, which helps them with settling down and improving their quality of life in a new environment. I found that ELP teachers, staff and volunteers are always sincere to the learners and willing to help them out not only in learning English but also in all aspects of learning as well.”

Whether you want to learn English with us, volunteer with us, or just have a chat – we have 22 centres nationwide, and we look forward to meeting you.
Find the ELP centre nearest you!