Opportunity for English-language learners
English Corner activities are free and open to any English-language learner in Lane County. Participants of all ages are always welcome. Find out more at Lane County English Corner.
Three friends who met through English Corner take a walk in Springfield, Oregon.
Practice English! Make Friends! That’s the slogan a group of Bahá’is in the Lane County, Oregon, cluster came with up for their English Corner service project, launched in the spring of 2021.
The idea for English Corner likely originated in China, but it has become a way for experienced and newer English-language speakers worldwide to come together, all in aid of practicing having conversations in English. For the Lane County Bahá’ís who started this project—many of whom have lived in other countries—it would be a way to reach out to welcome people from around the world who are living, working or studying in our communities.
The Lane County group based their service project around the program initiated by the Colibri Learning Foundation, a Bahá’í-inspired educational endeavor in Vancouver, Canada. According to their website, “English Corner allows newcomers to practice communicating in English, make new friends, and together find opportunities to contribute to the wellbeing of the community.”
“At the heart of every development endeavour is consistent, systematic action. Action, however, needs to be accompanied by constant reflection to ensure that it continues to serve the aims of the endeavour.” – Office of Social and Economic Development, Bahá’í World Centre*
Finding the need and filling it is a process
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lane County English Corner started as a weekly Zoom meeting using the Colibri topic sheets, with their permission. The first attendees were Chinese graduate students from the University of Oregon. Occasionally, people of other language backgrounds would join in, but the group never grew substantially, despite ongoing outreach efforts at the University, Lane Community College, cultural festivals and any number of local restaurants. Eventually, the regular attendees to these online gatherings moved back home to China, and all the efforts to find local people to attend seemed to be stymied.
Though occasionally discouraged, the team reflected, consulted and chose to maintain that weekly online meeting in hopes that it could eventually blossom into a more widely used service. While participation numbers continue to vary, by the spring of 2025, the attendees were almost all local and came from a wider variety of national and language backgrounds.
English Corner participants meet in a backyard.
“Two of the original Chinese participants thanked us profusely for the service,” said Kathryn Luckey, a team member. “They felt so grateful to be able to meet each week and talk about important topics in English. English is important to both of them in their positions in China.”
The time finally arrived in summer 2022 when the team could consider in-person gatherings. “We didn’t have enough people locally to justify weekly English Corner conversation practice gatherings, so we considered other ways to reach the same goal of connecting with immigrants or foreign-born residents in our area who don’t speak English as their native language,” said team member Lisle “Wei” Veach. “We wanted to create an activity that would also help build trusting bonds between locals and these new friends.”
A social gathering is added
That led to an English Corner Social gathering, beginning with a picnic in a local park in September of 2022. Several team members who knew people from other countries invited those friends to that first picnic and many came. The program began with an explanation of English Corner, followed by a sing-along song in English. People were then asked to share something about their own culture, and the afternoon ended with socializing and refreshments. It was a joyful event and many people expressed interest in attending again. The guests were asked to share a convenient day and time for them to attend, and the team then committed to hosting at that time once per month.
During the winter months, the English Corner Social moved to the home of some team members. Xiaoying, a young Chinese mother especially loved these gatherings in a home: “I’ve lived in America for several years, and this is the first time I’ve ever been invited into the home of an American.” Her son also began participating in a Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment program.
English Corner participants play a boisterous game to guess the word on the card.
The Social continues to follow a program of singing together, followed either by an English-language game or a question that each person can answer; for example, about their family or their favorite dish from their home country. English Corner Socials have drawn up to 26 people, including team members, and have had representatives from up to seven different countries. The informal chats at every Social have provided many opportunities for building bonds of friendship.
The growth of the program has presented a challenge in finding a consistent indoor space in the winter for the monthly Socials, but the plan is to continue to host them in parks in the summer. The number of guests still varies widely, so efforts to introduce more people to this service—and build friendships with people from around the world—are ongoing.
- Connections with local friends in the Chinese community keeps the team in the loop for their events. This led to tabling at the annual Asian night market in May and at the annual Asian Celebration in July.
- Engagement with the Catholic Community Services’ Refugee Resettlement Coalition of Lane County led to an article about the English Corner in one newsletter .
- Programs through the University of Oregon to connect international students with the community offer opportunities to meet new friends.
English Corner volunteers hosted a table at the Asian Night Market, in order to introduce the service to more people.
Weekly meetings help the team reflect and evolve
The weekly Zoom meeting continues to anchor the project and team members who take turns hosting that conversation practice always come away feeling like they’ve once again renewed a friendship.
“Focused, systematic thinking and persistent, meticulous labour do not, of course, detract from the spirit of service that animates social action. While paying attention to the smallest practical details, one can be occupied with the most profound spiritual matters. A distinguishing feature of any Bahá’í endeavour has to be the emphasis it places on the spirit with which action is undertaken. This requires from the participants purity of motive, rectitude of conduct, humility, selflessness, and respect for human dignity.” – Office of Social and Economic Development, Bahá’í World Centre*
“English Corner made me realize that these casual, fun and engaging activities can really help folks in picking up native English,” reported Kathryn Luckey. “And it’s been a wonderful way for us to make new friends, too.”
Join English Corner and Have Fun Practicing English
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