Language group resumes for third year

By Florence Kalia Time Contributor

The Strathmore Language Group has reconvened for its third year.
The group consists of people who want to learn a new language or have conversations with other people who are willing to learn and speak together.
“The group is getting started pretty well and currently we offer French, German, English (ESL) and Spanish,” says Stefanie Baggott, the coordinator for the Strathmore Language Group.
The program started in January 2016 because of Baggott’s passion for language.
“I was learning German online and wanted to start speaking to other people and have conversations,” she said. “I also wanted to reach out to immigrants. That is something that is in my heart. I had immigrants from Colombia and Brazil join the group and learn English.”
Ever since then, the group has grown in numbers and the amount of languages that are offered. The group is a free resource to practice speaking languages. In their third year, the group is “hoping to grow a lot more.”
Currently, the group has around 10 to 15 members who come regularly to the weekly meetings. There are around four different small groups that work on different languages together.
The language learners are open to new joiners anytime.
“It would be nice to see more people come out and offer more languages,” said Baggott. “Even if people want to learn a new language that we don’t offer, they are still welcome to come out and we can find other learners or instructors for them.”
Along with languages, the club is always open to new ideas as well. They tried a baking session, but it did not seem too relevant for a language group. Baggott is considering some type of field trip activity together this year.
“If we can find a language-related activity, that would be great. Maybe visit a cultural museum or possibly go to a language festival.”
The group provides a lot of conversational time and skill improvement for new language learners. The organization can be an addition to learning a language online. It provides an opportunity to speak and converse in a language and master the pronunciation of words.
The group is currently seeking a fluent French speaker to join them.
The program starts up in September and runs until the middle of May. It is free to go to the group meetings and is a great way to learn more in a language of your choice.
The group meets every Wednesday in the Strathmore library’s meeting room from 7:30 to 9 p.m.