My Oulu: New Finnish language practice group for everyday needs starts in Rajakylä
Director of Immigration Arto Willman, Finnish teacher Varvava Kornienko and Multilingual Director Dlovan Ishaya promise that Finnish will be learned in a relaxed and social atmosphere in Rajakylä. Photo: Susanna Kauppinen
Jaa sosiaalisessa mediassa:
A new Finnish language group will launch at Rajakylä Youth Centre in October. The group practices Finnish for everyday needs through discussion, song, and shared activities. The group is meant especially for parents with immigrant backgrounds who want to reinforce their Finnish skills.
The new Finnish language group launches on Friday, October 9, at 9 AM in the Rajakylä Youth Centre. The two-hour meetings take place on Friday at the address Ruiskukkatie 4–6.
The group is meant especially for parents with immigrant backgrounds who want to reinforce their Finnish skills and increase their confidence in using Finnish in everyday situations. The teaching is organized on-location, so the participants get to practice speaking Finnish with the teacher and other participants.
Varvava Kornienko will serve as the Finnish teacher.
“We practice practical Finnish for everyday situations. We will learn through discussion, games, song, and different role-playing practices”, Kornienko describes.
You may participate regardless of your skill level. The contents and level of teaching will be adapted to suit the starting points, needs, and wishes of participants. The goal is to ensure that everyone will dare to use more Finnish in their everyday lives.
You are welcome to bring your children with you. This eases the participation of parents especially, since organizing childcare can be difficult. On top of the teaching, the group offers an opportunity to meet new people, exchange experiences, and receive peer support from people in similar life situations.
Request from the area
The need and hope for a Finnish language group in Rajakylä came from operators in the Rajakylä-Pateniemi region. They operate in tight cooperation in the area with multilingual families and identified a need for an accessible and practical language learning group.
Director of Immigration Arto Willman is happy that the need can now be addressed.
“Finnish language skills reinforce integration into Finland and the sense of belonging in your neighborhood and society. Language skill eases taking care of everyday matters and understanding how Finnish society operates”, Willman says.
The group can explore the city of Oulu’s services, hobby opportunities, and the Finnish education system, for example. Participants can also present their own wishes for learning contents that will be considered during the group activities.
“We are happy to see the group launch and hope for more participants. Participation is voluntary and you should tell your friends and acquaintances about the group. All people interested in learning Finnish language skills are welcome to join”, Arto Willman encourages.
Pictures, words, dialogue, and games
The immigrant parents who participated in designing the group activities considered the teaching as a good opportunity. They hope that the group would especially teach discussion skills for everyday situations and a lot of speech practice.
They also hoped for games, word games, grammar skills, and sufficient repetitions to ensure that new words and expressions get rooted. New words can be taught with pictures. For example, the participants can take a picture of an object or word they don’t know to be discussed at the meeting.
According to the participants, a group led by a teacher is an effective way to learn language. The teacher can offer support, feedback, and encouragement for speech skills in a safe and encouraging atmosphere.
Finnish language group in Rajakylä launches on Friday, October 9, at 9.00 AM at Rajakylä Youth Centre (Ruiskukkatie 4–6).