The "Around the World" Club: Using the ENACT app in after-school clubs with refugee children and NEST volunteers

North-East Solidarity and Teaching service (N.E.S.T) is an NGO volunteer-led service based in Newcastle University. Recently, N.E.S.T’s school project branch has been running the “Around the World” club which engages children in and celebrates different cultures by using the ENACT web app. The club connects children from various backgrounds by improving their social skills and providing a positive environment to look forward to at the end of the day. Children form new friendships, having fun whilst learning, and teachers are supported in promoting engagement during regular school activities. Currently the club is run at four local schools: Central Walker C of E Primary School; Kenton Bar Primary School; Simonside Primary School; and Welbeck Academy. Volunteers say the sessions are suitable and stimulating for various age groups, and the children enjoy participating in the arts and crafts with their friends. By making the craft they are unconsciously connecting with the culture. Tilly Atkinson, NEST Schools Project Lead, said "They are learning without even knowing it." The sessions use craft-focused activities from the ENACT website. Each week NEST volunteers are equipped to introduce a different culture and language to children from Year 2 to Year 6. A year 3 pupil from Lebanon in Simonside Primary said she loved going to the after-school club because it allowed her to interact with people outside her class; she saw the club as an opportunity to form new friendships by asking them for help with the activities: "I made two new friends in the after-school club!" The use of ENACT in the after-school clubs empowers children’s voices by breaking down the language barriers, which promotes smoother social integration with peers. Children must have a strong social base not only to build their sense of belonging and emotional wellbeing, but also to enhance their language learning, which the ENACT club supports through group learning activities. The most significant impact of the Around the World club in schools has not necessarily been the number of words the children learned, or how much of the story they took away from each session, but the interpersonal skills, empathy and understanding they developed. Having the space where culture and foreign languages are at the centre of conversation embraces the cultural differences which may exist between the children attending the club. As one child put it, the Around the World club is "the most perfect club in the world! I love it because I can make crafts and learn languages."