Community Outreach Helps French Speakers Adjust To Indiana Environment
December 11, 2022 at 9:02 p.m.
By Micaela Eberly-
Northern Indiana may not be the most obvious place to find French-speaking communities, but that does not mean they are not here. Because of their differing backgrounds, French-speaking people in northern Indiana both thrive and face challenges.
According to Hector Rivera in “Infusing Sociocultural Perspectives into Capacity Building Activities to Meet the Needs of Refugees and Asylum Seekers,” refugees face many challenges, such as linguistic barriers, cultural inconsistencies, difficulty maintaining relationships and the danger of parents being separated from children.
Despite the challenges, community support can help international residents adjust to their new environments. In “Attachment Styles and Changes in Systemic Inflammation Following Migration to a New Country among International Students,” Jean-Philippe Gouin and Sasha MacNeil said that support from peers is a crucial factor to help international students feel secure in a new environment.
Dave and Susie Hobert have been missionaries in France for over 40 years. When they come back to Indiana every year, they often interact with international students at Grace College in Winona Lake. Aligning with Gouin and MacNeil’s research, Dave Hobert knows how important it is for the students to have a support system, whether that be from co-workers, neighbors or churches.
“I have seen people and groups reach out to new people in a new community regardless of their national and racial background, helping them to learn English, to get settled in the new community and to feel welcomed,” Dave Hobert said.
Rivera said that refugees often move around more than the average person, which can make it harder for them to form strong relationships. This can also make it difficult for children in refugee families to learn from teachers, who may not know what level the students are at or who do not have time to bond with these students before they move again.
In addition to community support, family cohesion and caring mentors or teachers can help international residents adjust, Rivera said. According to Debora Wilhite, program coordinator for the Institute of Global Studies at Grace College, everyone experiences culture shock when they transition to a new culture.
Wilhite works with international students at Grace College as well as students who study abroad in other countries. She agrees that one big thing that can help people adjust is having a community around them.
“Often, what international students really need is to feel like they’re understood and have someone to talk to,” Wilhite said. “Whether they’re talking to other international students or any student willing to listen, they find that support in each other.”
International students are just one portion of the French-speaking population in northern Indiana. In Fort Wayne, the International Restoration Church is “a church for all nations,” according to Pastor Francois Mikobi. Congregants speak many languages, including French, English, Swahili and Creole.
Rachel Shenk, of Goshen, also speaks many languages. She runs a cheese shop in Goshen, the Wedge, that imports cheese from countries across the world. Shenk leans on her Belgian roots to create a community-centered environment for her customers, and she uses her language skills to make people of all backgrounds feel welcome.
In Winona Lake, Jacqueline Schram represents another important population of French speakers: third culture kids. Third culture kids are people who grew up with more than one dominant culture. Schram lived with her missionary parents in France, living in between the American culture that influenced how she lived in the home and the French culture that made up her life outside the home.
Many French speakers who move to the United States do so for work. One man, who wishes to remain anonymous to protect his family, moved from Haiti with a visa that originally lasted five years. Nine years later, he has not been able to return to his country because of political unrest.
People like Wilhite and the Hoberts help new people adjust to their new culture, whether that be in Indiana or across the world. They have seen many of the challenges that people go through as they transition.
One of the international students Wilhite works with, Maxime Bregeon, comes from France. In his first year at Grace College, Bregeon’s community helped his cultural transition. His experience on the Grace soccer team has played a big role in how he adjusted to his new environment.
French speakers do exist in Indiana, and they face many of the challenges that refugees, immigrants and international students face. In the end, what helps the most is support from the community, whether that be Fort Wayne, Winona Lake, Elkhart or another city in northern Indiana.
Northern Indiana may not be the most obvious place to find French-speaking communities, but that does not mean they are not here. Because of their differing backgrounds, French-speaking people in northern Indiana both thrive and face challenges.
According to Hector Rivera in “Infusing Sociocultural Perspectives into Capacity Building Activities to Meet the Needs of Refugees and Asylum Seekers,” refugees face many challenges, such as linguistic barriers, cultural inconsistencies, difficulty maintaining relationships and the danger of parents being separated from children.
Despite the challenges, community support can help international residents adjust to their new environments. In “Attachment Styles and Changes in Systemic Inflammation Following Migration to a New Country among International Students,” Jean-Philippe Gouin and Sasha MacNeil said that support from peers is a crucial factor to help international students feel secure in a new environment.
Dave and Susie Hobert have been missionaries in France for over 40 years. When they come back to Indiana every year, they often interact with international students at Grace College in Winona Lake. Aligning with Gouin and MacNeil’s research, Dave Hobert knows how important it is for the students to have a support system, whether that be from co-workers, neighbors or churches.
“I have seen people and groups reach out to new people in a new community regardless of their national and racial background, helping them to learn English, to get settled in the new community and to feel welcomed,” Dave Hobert said.
Rivera said that refugees often move around more than the average person, which can make it harder for them to form strong relationships. This can also make it difficult for children in refugee families to learn from teachers, who may not know what level the students are at or who do not have time to bond with these students before they move again.
In addition to community support, family cohesion and caring mentors or teachers can help international residents adjust, Rivera said. According to Debora Wilhite, program coordinator for the Institute of Global Studies at Grace College, everyone experiences culture shock when they transition to a new culture.
Wilhite works with international students at Grace College as well as students who study abroad in other countries. She agrees that one big thing that can help people adjust is having a community around them.
“Often, what international students really need is to feel like they’re understood and have someone to talk to,” Wilhite said. “Whether they’re talking to other international students or any student willing to listen, they find that support in each other.”
International students are just one portion of the French-speaking population in northern Indiana. In Fort Wayne, the International Restoration Church is “a church for all nations,” according to Pastor Francois Mikobi. Congregants speak many languages, including French, English, Swahili and Creole.
Rachel Shenk, of Goshen, also speaks many languages. She runs a cheese shop in Goshen, the Wedge, that imports cheese from countries across the world. Shenk leans on her Belgian roots to create a community-centered environment for her customers, and she uses her language skills to make people of all backgrounds feel welcome.
In Winona Lake, Jacqueline Schram represents another important population of French speakers: third culture kids. Third culture kids are people who grew up with more than one dominant culture. Schram lived with her missionary parents in France, living in between the American culture that influenced how she lived in the home and the French culture that made up her life outside the home.
Many French speakers who move to the United States do so for work. One man, who wishes to remain anonymous to protect his family, moved from Haiti with a visa that originally lasted five years. Nine years later, he has not been able to return to his country because of political unrest.
People like Wilhite and the Hoberts help new people adjust to their new culture, whether that be in Indiana or across the world. They have seen many of the challenges that people go through as they transition.
One of the international students Wilhite works with, Maxime Bregeon, comes from France. In his first year at Grace College, Bregeon’s community helped his cultural transition. His experience on the Grace soccer team has played a big role in how he adjusted to his new environment.
French speakers do exist in Indiana, and they face many of the challenges that refugees, immigrants and international students face. In the end, what helps the most is support from the community, whether that be Fort Wayne, Winona Lake, Elkhart or another city in northern Indiana.
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