NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17th, 2021
Contact: Aida Sanchez
Mexicanos en el Okanagan
(778) 475-3105
[email protected]

FREE SPANISH CLASSES FOR TRAVELERS

Vernon, BC– Mexicanos en el Okanagan is looking for twenty (20) enthusiastic neighbours living in Vernon and Coldstream, who would like to learn essential Spanish travel phrases which every traveller needs for free! Potential students would have to share their funniest story related to a language barrier when they visited a Spanish speaking country. They will have a week to post their story at IloveSpanish Vernon: www.facebook.com/groups/ilovespanishvernon and the teachers will select the funniest story.

There will be two classes per week, in total eight classes, which will last 20 minutes each, starting the second week of July until the end of July. The students who attend all of their classes will receive a symbolic graduation certificate which will be given during a graduation event where they will practice speaking Spanish with Spanish speaking members of our community, enjoy delicious Mexican tacos, pastries, and live Mexican music!

Aida Sanchez and Fanny Chapman, the administrators of Mexicanos en el Okanagan Facebook page, said how important is to practice and learn Spanish to our neighbours who own property and/or travel a lot to Spanish speaking countries, then, it is a good way to give back to our community. “It is a cheerful way to getting calmly back to normal gathering with our neighbours, as well as, promoting diversity and inclusion in our neighbourhoods. It is a lovely combo!”

The IloveSpanish Vernon project will be carried out thanks to The Neighbourhood Small Grants Program which is funded by the Community Foundation North Okanagan and the Vancouver Foundation. There is a special greeting to the regional advisory committee and Kim English, the Regional Coordinator of the program, for their support.

Fanny Chapman said, The City of Vernon is receiving more Spanish speakers every year and there are more coming because they are attracted to the beauty and warm weather of the Okanagan, the Okanagan College, and The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot. Let’s make them feel welcome and share their language with our neighbours.

Mexicanos en el Okanagan is the Mexican community and the first media in Spanish in the Okanagan. It is a Facebook group which has almost 2,000 followers from the Okanagan, Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, and Mexico. The purpose of the group is to create a virtual safe space where people can feel confident because they can read news, get the essential and trustful information that they need in their own language, provided by people who understand their needs and have the same cultural background.

A local neighbour said that she says “hi” or “hola” every time that she meets and agricultural worker because she understands the struggle to be in a different country with a different language. The agricultural workers, even if they are here temporarily, like it when local people greet them. They want to feel part of our community too. Finally, the IloveSpanish Vernon project wants to address the language barriers and be the bridge between two different worlds which can help each other as neighbours and find more things in common. We expect the project to be extended and have support from the local government and organizations to be able to teach Spanish to our English speaking community and English to the Latino community.

(###)