b"Ireland is a place of a thousand welcomes. It is so important that we uphold that. The new communitiesthat we have in Ireland are bringingso much and they are enriching Ireland. We must not just welcomeit, we must value it. Mary Nally, CEO of Third Age1Latvia France Spain reliant upon it because they can't speak English. arenolongerafraidtosayhello.ParentsdontDiversity is a fact of life for Ireland today. A warm, dependontheirchildrentotranslate.Theyfriendlywelcomehasapositiveimpactonthe become active citizens.existing community. We should all want to build a One example of an active citizen is Anna, abettersociety,asocietywherepeopledon'tfeel Filte Isteach student who came to Ireland fromalienated. PolandspeakingnoEnglish.IwasshyandAnd so today, all across Ireland, neighbors are embarrassed. I wanted to be independent and notreachingouttoneighbors.FilteIsteachhas rely on other people. And I wanted to meet Irishretained the programs personalized and friendly people.Theyaresofriendly.Theyhaveopenfeel by encouraging small classes that use conver- hearts. For those of us that are coming here, thatsation as the primary teaching tool. The initiative makesallthedifference.Ilearnedaboutthis has evolved to offer professional training to those programandthought,Itsfree,andsoclosetowho volunteer. Every week, over 550 trained tutors where I live! I had taken another course but it wasnowteachover1,400studentsin19counties far from home, and it was expensive. Filte Isteachacross Ireland. With help from The Ireland Fundsis so different. It's not just grammar, it is conver-PromisingIrelandCampaign,theprogramhas sation.IfeelcomfortableaskingaboutthingsIrecentlyopenedits53rdbranch.Supportfrom may not understand. I can ask anything here. The Ireland Funds has meant we can sustain our Annaisnowgivingbacktoherlocal growththroughoutthecountry,explainedMary community. Last July, I opened a local businessNally. Funding has made a real difference. It says here in town. I didn't take a bank loan; I saved inthatpeopleseethevalueofourprojectandorder to open this. It's a tough time in Ireland andits impact. What I love about this project is thatI want to do my small part to give back and provideit works because of its simplicity. English is justjobs.Ididn'tcomeheretotake,Icameheretoa way to bring people together and it is life-chang- give. Thanks to Filte Isteach, I'm able to do that.ing. People tell us they are no longer isolated. Theyconnect2012 | 34"