Stories

“I’ve been teaching English to refugees and people seeking asylum for over twenty years now. Since 2021, I have been leading the English language programme at West London Welcome, coordinating a team of 20 volunteer teachers – but my story started quite differently.

After 18 years in childcare, I was ready for a change. I landed a job teaching non-literate Somali women in Bethnal Green, teaching them for four hours a day, five days a week. They were an incredibly warm and welcoming group. I had no idea then how much it would transform my life.

I remember taking a group of women on an outing to Hackney City Farm. I thought it would be a nice change for them, to get out of the classroom, but in fact it was eye-opening for me. One of them, Amina, spotted a pile of sticks on the ground and without hesitation, arranged them perfectly on her head and walked off without dropping a single one. It was incredible – and then she taught me how to do it too.

The same thing happened at a pottery class. I’d brought them thinking they would learn something new, but I hadn’t realised they came from a nomadic community where making things from clay was second nature. They’d been crafting their own bowls, plates and cups their whole lives. Once again, they were the ones teaching me!

I first got to know about West London Welcome through Leyla, the Deputy Director. I used to follow them on Instagram and thought they were amazing, so I began referring my students there. When the position of English language coordinator came up in 2021, I snapped up the opportunity.

Now we teach about 160 students each week, across six different ESOL levels. We focus on practical, everyday English – the kind our students actually need. How to negotiate bills, make phone calls to GPs, deal with banks and solicitors, change appointments. It’s about survival and independence in their new home.

One of our students, a young man who’s been with us for about a year and a half, shows exactly what’s possible. When he first arrived, his mental health was poor and he’d been suicidal. He would sit silently in class, not contributing at all. But slowly, with encouragement from his classmates and teacher, he began to participate. First silently, then speaking up more and more. Three weeks ago, he told me he wanted to learn even more English, so I found him a place at the nearby college. The change in him has been remarkable – all because of the friendly environment we could offer him.

I’d never managed people before coming to West London Welcome, but our volunteer teachers are truly incredible. We team-teach, with two teachers per group, covering for each other when needed. They coordinate their own holidays and some have never missed a week! Here, the teachers really care about the wellbeing of their students. There is no financial incentive to them, it’s just human connection.

When you look at a global crisis, you think, I can’t do anything to affect that. But you can make a difference to change something for one person. If there were little centres like ours all over the city, everyone would be looked after. When I look at what we do here, it’s not just about teaching English. It’s about creating a space where people feel welcome, where they can grow, and where both teachers and students learn from each other every single day.

That’s what’s inspiring – watching people transform, not just in their language skills, but in their confidence and hope for the future. And knowing that while we can’t solve every global crisis, we can make a real difference in individual lives, one person at a time.”

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Written by Margie Cheesman, a volunteer at West London Welcome.