Barcelona and Catalonia
Spain
Launched as AFEX – Aprenem Families en Xarxa (“Families Learning Together”), in partnership with Casa Àsia. The pilot ran in a community with many newcomers from Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, with student volunteers from local high schools.
The program teaches Spanish and Catalan language and culture and technology, and includes field trips to major cultural centres to help newcomers feel at home. The Government of Catalonia and the City of Barcelona have supported it and helped launch it in more areas.
- 6 locations across Spain
- Newcomer adults from 9+ countries
- 2 awards in 2018
“It brought a change in my mother.”
Read Laiba’s story ▾Show less ▴
When she heard about the program, Laiba Zaman was immediately hooked. She became one of the first volunteers in YEP’s program in Spain, and her mother joined as a participant. A year later, Laiba became a program facilitator.
“My mother went to other language schools for ten years, but I saw no difference in her. When we started this project, I noticed that she was getting better. That was the most important thing for me: it brought a change in my mother.”
“I remember when I was a student tutor, a woman came to class for the first time. It was her first time in any classroom. She never had any education because her mom died when she was young and she had to take care of her siblings. After the lesson, when she wrote her name on the whiteboard, she was in tears and said, ‘My dream is now fulfilled.’”
Laiba says the program has greatly improved her self-confidence. “When I started out, I did not think I would be able to do this.”
