EIL Intercultural Learning

EIL's very own Gorey host community secondary school students were featured before Christmas in an article in the Wexford Echo Newspaper. Avril Brady is the Gorey Local Coordinator, and also runs an English language school. She invited both her English students and her long term international students to a multicultural Christmas bash to celebrate the season:

Students Get into the Festive Spirit

STUDENTS AND staff of Gorey Language Centre got into the festive spirit as they gathered in the Coach House last weekend. The Language Centre, which is situated in Tomsilla, Gorey, hosts a series of classes which enable students to learn a language and integrate as much as possible into the local community. By taking part in activities alongside locals, that the student already enjoys doing in their free time - or by trying something new, the Centre believes that it genuinely improves a person's English. The classes are small with the maximum number of students would be six in any one adult class, and a maximum of ten students in the summer courses for teenagers. This ensures individual attention for each student, therefore ensuring that all students can attain a higher level during their stay. Avril Brady told the Gorey Echo: "The students who come here for English classes are adult foreigners living and working in Gorey and the surrounding area. Along with this we have overseas students studying the The Community School for periods of up to a year. As well as the students, we had host families at the party as well as au pairs working locally and their host families. We had a broad range of nationalities at the party including German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Polish, Lithuanian, Latvian, Korean, Japanese and Columbian as well as a good smattering of Irish. This night meant a lot to all the students who felt like in was 'their' Christmas party - which it was." (Wednesday 16th December 2009, Wexford Echo Newspaper, pg 22)