For many newcomers, English can be the greatest obstacle to achieving their goals. The Salvation Army in Moncton, N.B., recognized this and launched the \u201cSpeak English Caf\u00e9\u201d.<\/p>\n
Every Wednesday, The Salvation Army\u2019s Moncton Citadel Community Church opens its doors to newcomers eager to engage in conversation and improve their language skills.<\/p>\n
Katherine Baez, who moved to Canada last year from the Dominican Republic, learned about the caf\u00e9 soon after arriving.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been even better than expected. When I came, I knew basic English, but I didn\u2019t have the confidence to speak publicly. The English caf\u00e9 became not only a safe space for me to practice my English without judgement but also a place where I can connect with people,\u201d Katherine says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
During each session, participants come in, help themselves to coffee, tea, or water, and engage in conversations from 7 to 8 p.m. This time provides an opportunity for guests to improve their English skills and talk about the goals and challenges they face as newcomers to Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve opened up the church so that anybody, no matter what your language is, can come in and practice simple conversation in English. We are trying to meet people\u2019s needs and specific goals that they\u2019re working towards, like school, job interviews, or maybe immigration,\u201d says Deborah Thomson, program facilitator.<\/p>\n
In Katherine\u2019s case, she credits the caf\u00e9 with helping her get hired for her current job at a financial institution.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething important that helped me were the mock interviews,\u201d Katherine shares. \u201cThe caf\u00e9 is my comfort zone.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
According to Deborah, being part of the caf\u00e9 allows participants to become more integrated with The Salvation Army. There are times when they receive extra food items for their families.<\/p>\n
Volunteers also play a huge role in encouraging new participants to join and feel welcome.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do have volunteer drivers that pick up people from their homes because transportation sometimes is an issue. They come back week after week,\u201d Deborah adds.<\/p>\n
Another aspect that is often overlooked is the fact that starting over in a new country can take a mental toll.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis group has been an emotional support for me in addition to helping me improve my English,\u201d Katherine says. \u201cWednesday is my favourite day of the week.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Katherine believes the sessions have improved her confidence when speaking English.<\/p>\n
\u201cRealizing people understand what you are saying, and that you are capable of reading and comprehending English gives you confidence when speaking,\u201d Katherine adds.<\/p>\n
The Speak English Caf\u00e9 has been running for close to a year now. It continues to grow each week.<\/p>\n
By Juan Romero<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For many newcomers, English can be the greatest obstacle to achieving their goals. The Salvation Army in Moncton, N.B., recognized this and launched the \u201cSpeak English Caf\u00e9\u201d. Every Wednesday, The Salvation Army\u2019s Moncton Citadel Community Church opens its doors to newcomers eager to engage in conversation and improve their language skills. Katherine Baez, who moved […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10022,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"location":[],"class_list":["post-10021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Speak English Caf\u00e9 Empowers Newcomers - Salvation Army Atlantic<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Speak English Caf\u00e9 Empowers Newcomers - Salvation Army Atlantic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For many newcomers, English can be the greatest obstacle to achieving their goals. The Salvation Army in Moncton, N.B., recognized this and launched the \u201cSpeak English Caf\u00e9\u201d. Every Wednesday, The Salvation Army\u2019s Moncton Citadel Community Church opens its doors to newcomers eager to engage in conversation and improve their language skills. Katherine Baez, who moved […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Salvation Army Atlantic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-12T14:53:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-26T11:21:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/02\/English-cafe-web-image.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"SalvationArmy.ca\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"SalvationArmy.ca\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"SalvationArmy.ca\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/#\/schema\/person\/be56ce6a18dd19786ed68c2f0f38b7b1\"},\"headline\":\"Speak English Caf\u00e9 Empowers Newcomers\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-12T14:53:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-26T11:21:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/\"},\"wordCount\":442,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/02\/English-cafe-web-image.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"General Interest\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/\",\"name\":\"Speak English Caf\u00e9 Empowers Newcomers - Salvation Army Atlantic\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/02\/English-cafe-web-image.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-12T14:53:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-26T11:21:17+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/#\/schema\/person\/be56ce6a18dd19786ed68c2f0f38b7b1\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/02\/English-cafe-web-image.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/02\/English-cafe-web-image.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Speak English Caf\u00e9 Empowers Newcomers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/\",\"name\":\"Salvation Army Atlantic\",\"description\":\"Salvation Army Atlantic Division\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/#\/schema\/person\/be56ce6a18dd19786ed68c2f0f38b7b1\",\"name\":\"SalvationArmy.ca\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dad52017e8d05f91dd36f51533fd4d34de13c1e4d6e8c2d198a5e65847134bba?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dad52017e8d05f91dd36f51533fd4d34de13c1e4d6e8c2d198a5e65847134bba?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"SalvationArmy.ca\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/author\/gutemberg1\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Speak English Caf\u00e9 Empowers Newcomers - Salvation Army Atlantic","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Speak English Caf\u00e9 Empowers Newcomers - Salvation Army Atlantic","og_description":"For many newcomers, English can be the greatest obstacle to achieving their goals. The Salvation Army in Moncton, N.B., recognized this and launched the \u201cSpeak English Caf\u00e9\u201d. Every Wednesday, The Salvation Army\u2019s Moncton Citadel Community Church opens its doors to newcomers eager to engage in conversation and improve their language skills. Katherine Baez, who moved […]","og_url":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/","og_site_name":"Salvation Army Atlantic","article_published_time":"2024-08-12T14:53:52+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-05-26T11:21:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/02\/English-cafe-web-image.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"SalvationArmy.ca","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"SalvationArmy.ca","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/"},"author":{"name":"SalvationArmy.ca","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/#\/schema\/person\/be56ce6a18dd19786ed68c2f0f38b7b1"},"headline":"Speak English Caf\u00e9 Empowers Newcomers","datePublished":"2024-08-12T14:53:52+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-26T11:21:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/"},"wordCount":442,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/02\/English-cafe-web-image.jpg","articleSection":["General Interest"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/","url":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/","name":"Speak English Caf\u00e9 Empowers Newcomers - Salvation Army Atlantic","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/02\/English-cafe-web-image.jpg","datePublished":"2024-08-12T14:53:52+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-26T11:21:17+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/#\/schema\/person\/be56ce6a18dd19786ed68c2f0f38b7b1"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/02\/English-cafe-web-image.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/02\/English-cafe-web-image.jpg","width":800,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/2024\/08\/speak-english-cafe\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Speak English Caf\u00e9 Empowers Newcomers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/#website","url":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/","name":"Salvation Army Atlantic","description":"Salvation Army Atlantic Division","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/#\/schema\/person\/be56ce6a18dd19786ed68c2f0f38b7b1","name":"SalvationArmy.ca","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dad52017e8d05f91dd36f51533fd4d34de13c1e4d6e8c2d198a5e65847134bba?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dad52017e8d05f91dd36f51533fd4d34de13c1e4d6e8c2d198a5e65847134bba?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"SalvationArmy.ca"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca"],"url":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/author\/gutemberg1\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10021"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/atlantic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=10021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}