The 9th episode of the New Residents podcast and all future episodes will be in English. We are expanding our focus beyond Ukrainians to include "New Residents" from around the world.
Our mission is to help them integrate into society by providing valuable information on all things Kerry, including education, community, and medical resources.
Our first guest is Magda Wolinska Krajnik, who moved to Kerry from Poland in 2008. Initially coming for a holiday, Magda decided to stay and build her life here. One of the biggest challenges she faced was the language barrier. Despite having some knowledge of English, she was afraid to speak for fear of being laughed at.
Magda shares her courageous story of overcoming this barrier by assisting fellow Polish people who didn’t speak any English.
Our second guest is Mike O'Sullivan, a volunteer with Failte Isteach. This initiative by Third Age helps newcomers integrate better by addressing the language barrier directly.
Their conversational classes, which have been making a significant impact since 2008, emphasize inclusion and community. If you’re looking to improve your English and make friends, this is the place to be. Mike discusses his journey as a volunteer, what the experience is like for learners, and shares success stories, highlighting why these conversational classes are a fun and effective way to learn English.
This episode is all about learning English, featuring both Magda’s personal journey and Mike’s insights from a volunteer perspective. It’s an engaging episode that all our listeners can enjoy, especially since it’s in English.
The New Residents podcast is a fortnightly series produced by Radio Kerry with the help of NEWKD and the Tralee International Resource Centre.
It aims to provide new residents to the county with information, advice and local knowledge in their own language, to help them adapt to their new home.
The New Residents Podcast is available on the podcast page of RadioKerry.ie and Spotify, and is funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee.
