Page 12 - euroguidance-insight-newsletter-2016-autumn

Netherlands, however, this is en- In the language café six people and writing skills, which gives you
tirely common practice and there sit around a small table, the main an opportunity to introduce inciden-
are systems in place to deal with point is to be sitting close together. tal literacy training” - Alf Blindheim.
it”. The conversation focuses on a
specific topic that allows everyone Motivation found
The language café is now a weekly to contribute. “Food” is always a
event, organised by the library in popular topic, says Alf. ”The most One of the concepts that Bergen
partnership with the regional immi- important thing is that everybody Public Library will be developing
gration council in the county. engages in conversation and has further are computer courses for
About 100 immigrants meet up for a good time. It is essential to give
a chat in small groups, over a cup people a good welcome, create the elderly. However, Blindheim,
of coffee. Each group is led by a good meeting places. Feeling good Helland and their colleagues have
Norwegian volunteer. Around 25 makes learning easier” he contin- far from finished digesting all their
volunteers are associated with the ues. impressions from last autumn’s
running of the café. excursions.
Taboos
“We have a lot to learn from how “Our excursions to the Nether-
Dutch libraries organise voluntary The Dutch libraries also gave lands and Sweden have taught
labour”, says Anne. “It proved sur- much attention to “ordinary” adults us a lot: the systematic work with
prisingly easy to recruit volunteers with poor reading and writing skills. volunteers in the Netherlands; their
in Bergen, though. Many of them OECD analyses suggest that 75 willingness to throw themselves
are recently retired teachers and million adult Europeans have poor in at the deep end and try out
educationalists”. literacy skills. new methods. I have found great
motivation to continue working with
Tell me a story “Until now, we haven’t really these things. It is very energising”
focused much on adult people’s says Anne Berit Helland.
“In the Netherlands we visited problems with reading and writ-
libraries where immigrants can ing. In the Netherlands they found
borrow a volunteer to read them a that illiteracy was taboo. So if they By Runo Isaksen
story. And you can borrow a volun- advertised a course, no-one would SiU - Norwegian Centre for Inter-
teer to accompany you on a walk. turn up. If on the other hand you national Cooperation in Education.
We learnt a lot and got many new advertise a computer course for
ideas” says Alf Kåre Blindheim who the elderly, you will also come
manages the language café. across people with poor reading

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