Auburn Review Pictorial
Wednesday 15/8/2007
Helping migrants settle
Building a
new home
BY SUHEIL DAMOUNY
"I CAME to Australia for
a better life, so I would
like to get a job and learn
to speak English."
This proclamation was
made by one of the newly
arrived migrants onto Aus-
tralian shores, handwritten
on a paper leaf and pasted
on a vine across the stair-
case wall at ACL Auburn
along with the hopes and
dreams of others just like
the anonymous author.
Another states: "I like
Australia because I can
find anything"
The dedicated team at
ACL is working tirelessly
to create an environment
that is culturally and reli-
giously sensitive in order
to help more than 1800
students who are part of
the Adult Migrant English
Program (AMEP).
The centre, is a multi-
ACL Auburn students Ya Xia and Zong Chan, teacher Terry, assistant Yuan and student Xiao Li.
Brief: ACL MENT
Page: 5
Section: General News
Region: Sydney Circulation: 28,970
Type: Suburban
Size: 335.19 sq.cms.
Published: --W----
cultural boiling pot with
students from Afghani-
stan, Lebanon, Syria,
China, Vietnam and other
nations sharing one basic
goal: learning the tools to
make Australia their new
home.
To adapt to the needs
of their clients, manage-
ment are able to intro-
duce a Youth Class into
their main curriculum,
after a successful pilot
last year enrolling 360
students.
The program is aimed
at 18-25 year old students
with various levels of Eng-
lish language proficiency,
assisting with employ-
ment skills and exposing
students to the Australian
way of life.
With the introduction
of a childcare centre
and women-only classes
aimed mainly at enabling
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Muslims to feel more
comfortable, management
seems to be well tuned to
the needs of Australia's
newest citizens.
Classes are also split into
daytime, afternoon and
evening classes, to help
accommodate those who
work on a rotating roster.
Educational Manager at
ACL AMEP Auburn Col-
lege, Marina Sherbak, said
ACL wants to help young
people access a range of
services to give them the
opportunity to be more
exposed to the English
language.
"Students can see the
value of the youth classes
because they can learn
much more within a short-
er time and gain skills to
get a job, such as com-
puter and workplace com-
munications modules,"
she said.
Photo by RADIM CECHVALA
With only 18-22 people
in the youth classes, the
teachers are able to cater
for the needs of each cli-
ent and is tailored to their
needs."
Andy Pyke, ACL AMEP
Contract Manger said that
they encourage students to
be involved in activities
such as Harmony Day.
"We recognised that
there was a need to try and
reach everybody for their
entitlement to AMEP, we
recognised that there is a
group of Muslim wom-
en who had preferences
studying in an environ-
ment that they feel more
culturally comfortable
with," he said.
ACL also holds Citizen-
ship classes, counseling
services and has childcare
facilities to help students
learn more efficiently.
Ref: 29612233