Breaking language barriers in even more schools

The return of a community project encouraging children to engage with their mother languages has been welcomed into two new schools.

The second book from the “My Voice, My Culture” project, a collaboration between REAP Marlborough and the Marlborough District Council’s Welcoming Communities team, will include Renwick and St Mary’s School while returning to Bohally Intermediate.

Students have been given a new task – to write about their favourite person, place or thing – alongside their language assistants who will help them either translate their writing into English, or from English into their mother language. “It’s really pleasing for us to see more kids and new languages come forward to be a part of our second book”, said Welcoming Communities’ Heather Barnes.

“We found it’s a wonderful chance for both students who are learning English as a second language, as well as students eager to learn their mother language and connect with their parents and families back home.”

The project uses volunteers and community connections with the Marlborough Multicultural Centre to pair up students with language mentors with the same mother tongue, especially those keen to work on their English.

The stories are collated and made into a book with copies going to each contributor and to libraries across the region.