Medis on the move

It’s now almost 2 months since the Swedish for Foreigners Course (SFI) started at Medis, the national institute of the Åland Islands.

This year, close to 92 immigrants has applied for the course, which is sponsored by the local government. Åland, is gradually becoming a popular spot for immigrants, from all over the world.

The Swedish course is divided into three levels. The first level is for people who have no understanding of Swedish. Level 1 is divided into two groups, enabling the teachers to better know their students and also be able to offer adequate attention to each of them. Majority of the students in level 1 are from Thailand, Iran and Romania. There are few others from UK, Nigeria, Philippines, Latvia, Morocco, Finland and Gambia.

The main objective of the course is to help us integrate easily within the Åland community. The focus is getting the students to speak the official language, Swedish and also getting to know and appreciate the cultures of the Island.

The students are also exposed to each other’s culture. This is more like creating the opportunity, to have an understanding and appreciation of the richness of our human diversity. Already, they have watched documentaries about Wales, Romania and Thailand.

The two teachers assigned to Level 1, are Mats and Kristina, who lives in Mariehamn and Saltvik respectively. Both teachers have been described as very effective in their teaching strategies and efforts in connecting with their students.

The course is expected to end in April 2009 and the students will hopefully be absorbed in the job market.