As you enter the garden of the Ste-Croix social centre, you can hear bursts of laughter; the children are playing a more pedagogical version of “musical chairs” where they have to take either their grandmother’s, father’s or sister’s place. Judging by their enthusiasm for the game and the English words that come out, they are not only happy to be there but they are also learning a lot.

The cohesion between the young American volunteers and the local children is unbelievable. They all look so happy to be together that anyone who sees them would like to become a volunteer. These twelve “special US tourists” aged 19 to 24 are mostly university students, who have enrolled on the Learning Entreprise programme. They have come to Mauritius during their summer vacation to help underprivileged children improve their knowledge of English language through fun activities.

“We have learnt much more these past few weeks with these Americans than we have ever done in school”, the children admit. The approach is different – less strict – but it seems to give conclusive results. Fourteen year-old Jason is so happy to be taught English by these young volunteers that his dream now is to go and study in the United States.

The primary goal of these “learning for fun classes is to review the English the children have learned at school to get them really comfortable about speaking,” Kave, one of the volunteers, explains. Play activities and songs are used to get through language problems the children have. The latter are thus more eager to learn and make lots of progress.

The interaction between the children and their “teachers” is striking. They both enjoy being together and you can tell! There is a two-way traffic: the children try their best to speak English and Kave sometimes proudly answers in Creole.

The twelve volunteers are in five different places: Cascavelle, Chamarel, Bambous, Petite Rivière-Noire and Ste Croix. They are all staying with families where they “feel at ease”. Although they are not enjoying Mauritius as most tourists do (sea, sun, beach), they are delighted to be here. “Everyday is just a lot of fun here. None of us has had the chance to meet people like Brother Julien or Gérard Noël before. They are really great!”

Julien Lourdes is just as enthusiastic! “What they achieve with these children is fabulous!” After teaching the children at the social centre, the volunteers move on to the CAPA (Accompaniment centre for adolescents and adults) to help children who have difficulties at school.

<B>Sega and creole taught in return</B>

While the youngsters at the social centre are mainly from primary school, the ones at the CAPA centre have a higher level of education. Hence, they do not play games as such. But, there again, it is another approach but the same complicity. The young Americans give them the opportunity to speak “everyday English”. They jog together and discuss issues related to their daily lives. In return, the volunteers are taught the sega and it is a pleasure to hear them hum Blackayo songs while walking through the centre.

Learning Enterprise started with somebody called Adam Tolnay in 1982 when he was unofficially offered a teaching job in Budapest. He thus decided to launch this programme, which now exists in many countries of Eastern Europe, South America, etc. In Mauritius, the volunteers do not have a specific programme. They meet every evening and decide what they will teach the next day depending on the children’s needs.

Nate and Sarah were in Mauritius last year. This year, they have come back as “leaders” of the group. They interviewed prospective volunteers and they guide them in the various teaching methods. For Sarah, to be a good teacher, you must be “enthusiastic, positive, have great energy and most importantly care about kids. We are just inspired by the communities here in Mauritius.”

Sarah explains that the project has been made possible by local university lecturers such as Arnaud Carpooran and Roukaya Kasenally who have helped set up the programme in Mauritius. “People here have been very helpful,” says Sarah. But what the volunteers enjoy most is “that unique mix of culture.”