A new project aiming to help Ukrainian immigrants and refugees improve their English skills has started in Swan Valley.
The Ukraine ESL (English as a second language) & Tablet Project is centred around providing Ukrainian newcomers with educational materials to help them improve their level of English and their children with tablets to be used at school.
Donna Martin, the executive director of the Community Foundation of Swan Valley (CFSV), says that a project like this helps newcomers participate in the local workforce.
"[The main goal is] to help people that come to our community participate in the community. When your community is healthy, your community is healthier as a whole," she adds.
According to Martin, the CFSV gave a one-time grant to the Immigration Services Branch in Swan River to help them purchase ESL materials and tablets and it is up to the Immigration Services Branch to determine how they will be used.
"[The English-language materials are] at the Immigration Services [Branch]. That's the agency that applied for the grant. They will be using them. They, technically, are keepers of those materials and anybody who needs English-language services can access [them] if they are qualified through Immigration Services," she adds.
Donna Martin says that everyone is welcome to visit the Immigration Services Branch on Main St. in Swan River to have a look at the materials and meet the newcomers studying and working on their English.