New Directions took a new direction last week by moving to 204 Street, across from City Hall.

Like a mosaic of countries coming together from all over the world, dozens of students from as far as Jordan and El Salvador to Myanmar and Taiwan joined together last Friday to celebrate New Directions move to a bigger facility.

The move from 56 Avenue was to accommodate the growing need for language services for immigrants moving to Langley, said senior teacher and ELSA co-ordinator Annemieke Vrijmoed-Strang.

City Mayor Peter Fassbender also joined to cut the cake. Food at the lunchtime celebration was made by students in the four classes, bringing together Spanish, Japanese, Chinese and other types of dishes.

With its beginning in 1989 in a small office, New Directions is a federally funded program that enables newcomers to communicate effectively within the community.

Eight teachers are employed for four day and night literacy classes, mainly to serve the 270 Karen refugees who have moved here.

Many Karen adults came to Langley not knowing how to read and write in their own language let alone English, said Vrijmoed-Strang.

Some are making huge progress and are starting to read and write in English, she said.

“Apart from teaching, we take students around the community,” she said. “We visit the mayor at City Hall, interview shopkeepers in Langley City, visit the Law Courts in Surrey, fire hall, Fort Langley, Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, Little Campbell Fish hatchery in Surrey (spawning salmon), Campbell Valley Park and a lot more.”

There is a huge waitlist for New Directions, for both day and night classes.

Immigrants coming to Langley include people from Korea, China, Eastern Europe, Poland, South America and the many Karen refugees from Myanmar.

In speaking with colleagues in Vancouver, their classes are not as busy, said Vrijmoed-Strang.

It may just be economics, she said.

“When they have a choice of Vancouver or Langley, they are starting to choose Langley because they are hearing that it isn’t as expensive to live out here,” she said.

The program is free for all immigrants.

Not only do the students learn English, they are also helped with creating resumes, touring Langley’s hospital, library and other facilities to get an understanding about what services are available to them.

Vrijmoed-Strang is proud of the fact that many of her former students come back to see her and speak of the successes they have had in finding work, stable housing and friends in the community.

At the grand opening celebration, Sonia Mejia from El Salvador performed traditional dancing. She was a student at New Directions school 10 years ago. She now speaks English well and works at Super Store in the clothing department, said Vrijmoed-Strang.