Together We Learn is a project run by Hackney CVS and WEA. It engages those with little or no English through trusted community organisations.

Throughout the project, participants will have opportunities to discover their community by participating in visits to areas of local interest, such as museums, parks, children’s centres and libraries.  Learners will be supported by fully-trained volunteers who will help them to find progression routes into formal or accredited provision to continue to develop their English.

WEA are aiming to run 18 courses in Hackney between July 2019 and February 2020 with local community partners. The overall target for Hackney is 252 learners and Hackney CVS via Community Partners have a target of 180 learners. WEA will provide childcare costs and tutors for the programme and will do the learners monitoring. Each community partner will be paid for outreach and for hosting the sessions.

If you already have ESOL tutors WEA may be able to engage them to work at your location (they would become WEA tutors for the duration of the project) WEA aim for 14 students per class. WEA will provide training, mentoring, support and cover the appointed volunteer expenses.

Hackney CVS will be the Community Partners link for this project and available to sort out issues. Hackney CVS will also be working out referral routes in and progression routes out of these sessions.

To be part of the ESOL programme, please complete the Expression of Interest form.

There are three ‘stages’ to the programme:

1. Three 4-hour workshops that focus on engagement activities (culture and community). Tutor led, supported by volunteer.
2. 20-hour contextualised ESOL course. Tutor led, supported by volunteer.
3. Integration activities led by volunteers. Tutor led, supported by volunteer.

To complete, participants must achieve the majority of learning aims with at least 70% attendance of stage 2.

It is expected that at least 50% of participants won’t have had any formal English lessons before but there is no restriction on previous WEA students. Our target participant is pre-entry/Entry 1 ESOL.

An important element of the project is for participants to identify suitable progression routes into formal learning/formal ESOL, through the WEA and it’s partners.

CPD for tutors and volunteer training is included as part of the project and to be delivered by Learning Unlimited.​

For more information please contact Oladapo Awosokanre, ESOL Project Coordinator: oladapo@hcvs.org.uk