Karen runs ‘CafeLingo’ in Douglas. CafeLingo provides a space for people who don’t speak English as their first language to get to grips with learning the dialect as well as life on the Isle of Man. The classes welcome everyone - any nationality, language, age, gender or faith and normally meet on a weekly basis. Karen does the teaching, and a team of volunteers help the students alongside her.
When lockdown started, Karen began weekly lessons on top of ‘meet and chat’ sessions on Zoom. She encouraged students to speak English on a regular basis so their learning would not suffer during the lockdown period. This also enabled everyone to keep in touch, including those who had moved off the Island. Such an important initiative for so many people who live on the Island!
