Our guest speaker, Wazih Razib, started his presentation by stating that if anyone couldn't remember his name, all they needed to say was "Who was he?" and they would have the answer straight away. Wazih works for an organisation called Learning for Employment where he is the Volunteer Tutor Scheme Coordinator. One of their key programs is the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP). This program provides up to 510 hours of English language tuition to eligible migrants to help them learn the English language. It also offers basic skills to enable them to participate socially and economically in Australian society. Clients may be eligible for the AMEP if they have become a permanent resident of Australia or hold a temporary visa, and if they register for the service within 6 months of migrating. Wazih said that some of the new arrivals are highly educated. For example, there have been doctors from countries such as Syria who are well qualified but don't speak a word of English. The AMEP Volunteer Tutor Scheme provides one-on-one English tuition to students which ensures that they don't become isolated or excluded from participating in the community due to language barriers. They must be newly-arrived residents from diverse cultural backgrounds with limited or no English language competency. The volunteer tutors meet the students at their home or other locations for at least one hour per week. The key tasks are to help the students to develop oral communication skills and to teach them to read and write. Wazih says the tutors are "the windows to the wider world" for the students. To commence their role, the tutor will need to complete a registration form, have a Police Check and Working with Children Check and be involved in some volunteer training. Wazih said that there is a high demand for volunteers in Werribee. While there are many nationalities who require the service, he said the highest demand comes from the Karin community. If you would like to know more about the program with a view to becoming a volunteer, Wazih would love to hear from you. His contact details are as follows: |