Although the number of temporary protection holders from Ukraine who canspeak Czech is increasing in the Czech Republic, 20% of them still do not speak the language at all. This alarming figure is a challenge for both the Ukrainian community and Czech society. "Language is a cornerstore of integration," explains Jelena Silajdžić, director of Slovo 21. That's why we came up with a new project, Teaching the Czech Language for Better Integration, which will provide language instruction to 1,300 Ukrainians.
During the 25 years of our organization's existence, we have successfully implemented countless integration projects. However, teaching Czech language is quite "new" focus to us, initiated by the beginning of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, i.e. for the last 2.5 years. During this time we have seen a great shift. At the beginning, many refugees considered the Czech Republic as a temporary refuge and, hoping for a quick return to Ukraine, did not focus much on learning Czech and integration. However, after more than two years of war, the situation has changed: "In the beginning, there was not much interest in the courses, but now it is rapidly increasing at all levels," adds Jelena Silajdžić.
Most temporary protection holders have started to put down roots in the Czech Republic - children are going to school and adults are seeking employment. With the decreasing certainty of returning to Ukraine, it is necessary to to expand the limited language course capacities. This will be helped by our two-year project, which will run from 1 July 2024 to 31 December 2026. Specifically, we plan to run 87 courses, ranging from A1 to B2 levels, across the country.
We are currently in the preparatory phase of creating teaching materials and syllabuses, with the help of lecturers from the Institute of Language and Preparatory Studies of Charles University (UJOP). The first courses should start at the beginning of January 2025. Our goal is for holders of temporary protection to become more self-sufficient in handling everyday matters—such as communication with labour offices or schools, and to make them less dependent on the help of interpreters. Better language skills will also help them build social connections with local residents and become familiar with Czech culture. Most importantly, knowing the language is essential for finding suitable employment.
We will cooperate with several NGOs founded by Ukrainian refugees, to organize the courses. These partnerships will allow us not only to reach participants effectively, but also to support the individual organizations in their growth - either by renting space or creating additional job opportunities for their staff.
The project Teaching the Czech Language for Better Integration is funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) of the European Union.
