English at Work session hopes to break down barriers

How does one connect with a new neighbor who doesn’t speak the same language or perhaps develop relations with a fellow work employee or church member from Haiti, Guatemala, Ukraine or Honduras?

According to Jonathan Rider, pastor at St. John’s Church of Walnut Creek, language barriers can be a deterrent in helping people make connections with immigrants and refugees who move into an area.

Rider said when his family was invited to attend a birthday party for their neighboring family, who happened to be from Guatemala, that experience opened their eyes as to the power of simply being willing to make a connection with another family despite them not sharing a language.

Rider said moving past the language barrier and getting to know families and individuals can be extremely gratifying, and once people make the effort, it opens doors and people realize these families and individuals aren’t all that different.

As a way to promote taking those first steps toward building relationships, English at Work Information Session will take place Thursday, July 18 at 8:30 a.m. at St. John’s Church of Walnut Creek, 4548 Olde Pump St.

The event was designed to equip and empower those seeking to improve their English and communication skills and unite the community with immigrants and refugees.

“Once we learn how to better move past those language barriers, by simply having meals together, we find out that all people have a great commonality with one another even though they may not share the same language,” Rider said.

English at Work Information Session is an opportunity for area church leaders to connect with and walk with immigrants and refugees as they learn English.

It also is open to business employers interested in helping employees communicate well at work and anyone who has the desire to serve as a welcoming conduit to new families moving into the area from another country.

“The program is designed for those who want to help reach the immigrant community and how we can overcome the language issue,” Rider said.

The program offers a solution for limited English-proficient employees looking to hone their communication skills at work and for companies looking to upskill, retain and promote a diverse workforce.

In addition, it is designed to aid leaders in area churches who want to improve their skills in communicating with immigrants and refugees in their church or in their communities.

Christy Staats will be present to share about this opportunity and answer questions. Staats works for the National Immigration Forum as the regional mobilizer.

The goal of the session will be to learn about the English at Work program, identify need and interest of implementing the program, and learn how to make plans to take the next step in making an outreach program.

“Christy is fantastic, and the program helps people better understand how to build confidence in sharing and connecting with immigrants and refugees, whether it’s at work, church, school or the grocery store,” Rider said.

He said Staats’ sessions have a proven track record, and he hopes this will serve as a catalyst to help people learn how to reach out to others.

For more information or if you plan to attend, call or email Rider at 571-243-3856 or jsrider06@gmail.com.

To learn more about the program, visit https://immigrationforum.org/article/english-at-work/.