Language is crucial to promoting social connections as well as developing an inclusive, coherent, diverse society. To assist and empower non-Greek and non-English speaking refugees and migrants living in Cyprus through language learning, Generation for Change CY has developed an online non-formal programme that includes teaching and learning Greek and English -as -a -second -language, “e-Learning for Change”. The programme aims to contribute to the economic and social integration of migrants and refugees in order to build an inclusive, intercultural, and cohesive society. 

Since the launch in May 2021, we have delivered four terms, each consisting of 12 weeks of classes, and so far 250 students participated in each term. Our courses are offered by our committed team of volunteer teachers, with the support of the Generation for Change CY’s technical team – all under the coordination of our project management team and our language programme head teacher.

The courses follow a set curriculum and textbook (plus other supplementary materials) which have been specifically designed by the Generation for Change CY team for the purpose of the programme: the aim is for students to make helpful and steady progress each term, on a path towards reaching the standardised A1 functional language level over the course of five terms in total.

The language courses are free of charge for our students enabling anyone to participate regardless of their financial situation. Also, the classes take place online, helping overcome other barriers to entry, such as long distances, time constraints or caring duties. All students who complete a term of their chosen language class are awarded certificates of participation and encouraged to continue their language-learning journey.

Enrolments for each term are open:

• Autumn Term: End of August till early September
• Spring Term: Early January till mid-January
• Summer Term: Early April till early May

We encourage women, non-binary persons, newly arrived migrants, and asylum seekers to register.

The language programme at a glance:

• Total: 12 weeks
• Number of class sessions per week: 2 sessions
• Duration of each class session: 2 hours
• Total teaching hours each term: 48 hours
• Classes delivered online via: Microsoft Teams (accessible through the app or browser)
• Target language level: Greek and English A1 Level over the course of 5 terms

Greek Course Curriculum

A1 – First Term Contains: 

Alphabet – Pronunciation; Reading – Writing; Verb To Be; Verb Have; Present tense – Active voice: (1^st & 2^nd conjugation: 1^st group); Nouns – three genders: Nominative case (Singular & Plural) Possessive adjectives; Interrogative pronouns; Definite article: Singular & Plural (Nominative); Numbers 1-10.

A1 – Second Term Contains:

Present tense – Active voice: (2^nd conjugation: 2^nd group / ΑΒ verbs group); Accusative case: Singular & Plural; Prepositions + Accusative case; Object pronoun (3^rd person); Definite & Indefinite article; Adjectives (Singular – Plural); Adjective – Noun consonance; Adverbs of place; Ordinal numbers 1^st – 10^th.

A1 – Third Term Contains:

Simple Future / Future Continuous – Active voice (all conjugations – classifications); Subjunctive mood (all conjugations – classifications); Demonstrative pronouns: αυτός, -ή, -ό / εκείνος, -η, -ο; Personal pronouns (strong & weak forms); Indefinite pronouns; Relative pronoun: που; Adjective: πόσος, πόση, πόσο; Adverb: πόσο; Numbers 11 – 1000.

A1 – Fourth Term Contains:

Simple Past (all conjugations – classifications); Imperative mood; Indirect speech; Adverbs & phrases of time; Adverbs of frequency; Genitive case (possessive case) – Singular & Plural; Interrogative pronouns: ποιανού, ποιανής, ποιανού; Possessive adjective: δικός μου, δική μου, δικό μου

A1 – Fifth Term Contains:

Present Perfect (all conjugations – classifications); Past perfect (all conjugations – classifications); Co-ordinate conjunction: και; Subjunctive conjugation of sentences; 1^st Conditional

English Course Curriculum

A1 – First Term Contains:

Alphabet – Pronunciation; The verb to be and to do (affirmative, negative and question); Regular and Irregular Plurals; Personal pronouns; Using present simple; Adverbs of frequency; Prepositions of time; Ordinal numbers (10-11).

A1 – Second Term Contains:

Using present continuous and understanding the difference with present simple; Past simple – The verb “to be” and “do”; Using regular and irregular verbs; Prepositions of place; Learning “can/could” (ability and possibility); Restaurant and café language; Vocabulary development to talk about past experiences and also about making comparisons between past and present situations.

(A1 – Third, Fourth and Fifth Terms will be updated soon)

Ways to become part of our commitment:

You can support our language programme by Donating or by Volunteering as a teacher

Donating: we can always benefit from funds to;

• Cover our running costs, including technical support
• Provide the best materials to support our teachers, students, and the learning process
• Keep our programme free and accessible to as many students as possible
• Sustain our other projects such as our Humanitarian Aid programme

Volunteering: What it involves:

• Voluntary teaching position
• 90 minutes per week (flexible schedule) over a term of 15 weeks total, including preparation time
• Experience and/or Qualifications are welcome but absolutely not essential
• Your role will be to teach functional day-to-day English or Greek language to students whose mother language is either English, Arabic, or French

What we provide:

• Programme curriculum, textbook, and other teaching materials and tools
• Support throughout from the programme’s head teacher
• Technical support for the delivery of classes through Microsoft Teams
• Clear communication from the project management team
• A supportive network of experienced teachers
• A certificate of participation upon completion of each term
• A fulfilling experience & a fantastic way to build new skills and relationships? while making a valuable contribution to a worthy cause!

To find out more about the programme, Donating or Volunteering, please contact us via email at @ orestis.pap@generatonforchangecy.org