OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — There is a large community of refugees in Oshkosh, and the Winnebago Area Literacy Council is ensuring they have access to free English classes.
- The Winnebago Area Literacy Council offers free English language classes twice a week.
- The literacy council's annual fundraiser is Thursday Oct. 3.
- Learning English is an important aspect of finding a home in Wisconsin.
Oshkosh is considered a resettlement city– a place with the resources and support that refugees need to make a life.
The Winnebago Area Literacy Council is one of those resources.
"It's really hard coming to a new country and not knowing anything, and so having places that are open and willing and sort of set up to try and help and be available to give you the best shot," Emma Thompson, communications and event manager for the Winnebago Area Literacy Council says.
Since 1989, the literacy council has provided accessible language classes to English learners.
Today, their typical student is a refugee and they operate with less than 10 employees.
They offer classes from very beginner to advanced, all for free.
Shane Boeder is one of the English teachers. She was a Spanish professor for over 30 years but says teaching refugees is much harder than teaching college students.
“Some of the learners we have right now, never had the opportunity to go to school," Boeder says. "So some of them will arrive here not knowing how to hold a pencil, or use scissors, certainly not knowing how to write their own language in any way.”
Boeder focuses on repetition and engaging lessons. She says despite the difficulty of learning a language, her students are full of laughter and eager to learn.
"They are magnificent," she says. "Their passion to learn, their openness, their sense of humor is always welcomed."
Msebengi Owatata has been taking English classes with the literacy council for two months. He moved to Wisconsin in 2023.
"I like to live in Wisconsin," he says. "I am free, I have no problems. At home, we had [everyday] the war."
Owatata is originally from Congo, but he came to the U.S from a Tanzanian refugee camp. He is 69 years old and had to leave his wife and kids back home.
Owatata says learning English is very difficult but that he will keep trying until he can speak fluently.
"Here in America, many things are in English– going to the market, to the hospital– that is why I must be here to learn English," he says.
The Winnebago Area Literacy Council also offers women-only courses with free childcare.
"A lot of cultures are a lot more patriarchal and women haven't always been granted the same education opportunities, and don't always feel as comfortable learning in the same environment as men," Thompson says.
On Thursday, Oct. 3, the literacy council will be hosting its annual fundraiser, Spellbound.
The event is an adult spelling bee and 100% of the proceeds go towards paying the language teachers, buying curriculum books and resources and keeping the courses free.
"A lot of the people that are coming here are not coming here with a lot," Thompson says. "They're doing their best to get by and if they need a job to make income, but they need to learn English to get a job, then if they have to pay for that service, it just might not be possible. And being able to communicate in a language where you live is just such such a core freedom."
You can find out more about the literacy council, or the Spellbound event by visiting their website.
