Feb 2, 2024 By Mark Hofmann 4 min read

As the number of immigrants grows in the area, so does the need to help them fully integrate into their new communities.

Programs in Washington and Fayette counties are there to help.

“We have a lot of the immigrant population, but they don’t know how to look for the resources,” said Erika Riedmann, who coordinates and volunteers at the free English as a Second Language (ESL) program at East End United Community Center (EEUCC) in Uniontown.

Both the EEUCC program and the programming offered through the Literacy Council of Southwestern PA in Washington County take students through levels of classes, each meant to increase their proficiency in English.

The council has offered the program for 14 years, while the EEUCC program is at its beginning.

Brandi Miller, executive director of the council, said there has been a significant increase in interest in ESL classes over the past few years. Before the pandemic, they saw about 250 students in the 20 classes that were offered. Now, that number has more than doubled, and four dozen volunteers teach 50 different classes to aid those at any level of proficiency.

“It depends how much English they want to learn,” Miller said. “It could be six months or five years.”

The council also offers help preparing students for their GED, working toward their driver’s license, or by assisting in the transfer of professional credits from their country of origin.

“One tutor taught a student to drive in the parking lot,” Miller noted.

Like Riedmann, Miller cited the increased interest in ESL classes to the growing immigrant population in Washington, Fayette, Greene and Westmoreland counties. In Charleroi, Miller said, there are about 2,000 immigrants from 44 countries, including China, Spain, Haiti and Indonesia.

In her time teaching the grant-funded program, Riedmann said she’s worked with people who came to Fayette County from Fiji, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Argentina and Guatemala.

To help students get a sense of what it’s like to interact with native English speakers, Riedmann takes them on field trips. Her small class has gone to grocery stores and restaurants, and visited Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus to talk to students.

“It’s very hands-on and very straightforward,” Riedmann said, adding the employees and managers at any of the places the students visit have always been helpful and patient.

The classes, which run every Wednesday, started in March 2023.

To Riedmann’s surprise, the response was good, and she quickly found herself teaching 20 students who are making their way through five levels of ESL.

And while the progression from level to level is slow, those who go through all of the levels are considered fluent in English, she said.

The group she is teaching now is at that first level.

Elizabeth Ortiz from New Salem has been a ESL student since the program was implemented. She recently spoke about how proud she was to call and make a doctor’s appointment on her own.

“I’m not as scared to speak anymore,” Ortiz said, with a little help from Riedmann. “It’s excellent. People are very friendly with me, and they understand my English is not very good.”

Another student, Delmar Gomez of Uniontown, is a food delivery driver. He said the classes have helped to improve his communication with customers.

While classes and field trips are part of the learning process, Riedmann said students can also benefit from native English speakers in the community. She said those who may be speaking to someone who isn’t fluent in English can gently correct them if they misuse or mispronounce a word.

“That makes them feel acknowledged,” Riedmann said. “It makes them feel good and they learn because, in reality, that’s what they need.”

She also suggested speaking slowly and clearly, which gives those learning English a better chance of understanding.

And, said Riedmann, don’t be afraid to ask non-native English speakers about their country of origin or culture.

“We love where we come from and love our countries,” Riedmann said. “I use the opportunity to teach people about Mexico and say how much I love it; they want to share where they’re from.”

Both Riedmann and Miller said that those who take part in the free ESL classes are appreciative of the classes.

“They’re very grateful,” Miller said. “They’re some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet in your life. They want to better themselves and are eager to learn.”

For more information, visit the East End United Community Center at www.eeucc.org/ or the Literacy Council of Southwestern PA at www.lcswpa.org.