Boosting language skills and community engagement
By Rodolfo Aragon
PCCFF Advisory Committee
Our local English as a Second Language, ESL, Class has seen record growth recently. The class has seen a significant surge in enrollment, with 15 new students joining this fall semester. The program offers extremely low-cost language courses to non-native speakers. The class is supported by the Perkins County Community Foundation Fund and Hastings Memorial Library and has been able to help the people in our community with their English proficiency the past two years.
With our classes being offered at the library on both Tuesdays and Thursdays in person, more individuals have been able to participate, allowing flexibility for those balancing work and family commitments. Program Director, Virginia Mireles Moreno, noted, “Our biggest commitment is to work with our students at their pace to ensure progress and consistency, and be able to encourage them to keep learning. From job-related English skills to conversational fluency, our goal is to equip students with the language tools they need to thrive”.
One of our students, Esthela Moreno from Aguascalientes, Mexico, says she can practice with her grandkids, and they all feel pretty proud of grandma for all the effort she is putting in to learn, despite being an adult.
We are hoping with time that ESL becomes a key element of our community, helping everyone to get to know each other and discover how amazing the people are in our community.
Hopefully, the class bridges the gap between language learning and community involvement. As the need for these classes grows, plans are to expand the program, adding additional Spanish classes or maybe some specialized workshops focused on local needs.
Doors are always open to whoever wants to join the ESL class, which are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30PM to 8:00PM. Again, thank you to an AMAZING community and for all the support and love that has been shown!!
The author is a member of the Fund Advisory Committee of the Perkins County Community Foundation Fund (PCCFF) and founded the first ESL class. Rodolfo can be reached at 308-882-6499. PCCFF has a vision of “vibrant communities and high quality of life” for the County. PCCFF is an affiliate of the Nebraska Community Foundation.