“Speaking Club” in Laplje Selo: A place to learn English through conversation, socializing, and practical situations

Young English teacher Smiljana Djokic has launched a “Speaking Club” in Laplje Selo, with the idea of enabling participants who already have some knowledge of English to improve their skills through conversation with native speaker Andreas Gruner Heger. Unlike traditional language classes, the focus is on conversation, practical situations, and expressing oneself freely without fear of making mistakes.

The “Speaking Club” is not conceived as a traditional language school or a series of conventional lessons, but rather as a space where participants can use the knowledge they already have, converse in English, and further improve their pronunciation and communication skills through a variety of situations.

“This is simply a program that allows participants who already know English to come and talk with Andreas, who is a native English speaker, and put their existing knowledge to use through situations that he suggests and facilitates. This gives them an opportunity to talk with him, exchange ideas, and simply practice their pronunciation,” Djokic told Kosovo Online.

The idea of launching a “Speaking Club” in central Kosovo, the enterprising young teacher explained, arose spontaneously during her stay in Turkey, where she participated in an Erasmus student exchange program.

“They suggested that I run a ‘Speaking Club’ for Turkish university students there, and I saw that it was really a very good idea. It is one thing when you have a native speaker you can speak English with, and another when you can speak to me partly in Serbian and partly in English. So, when Andreas came to Gracanica and contacted me, we came up with the idea of having him run a club like this, and we have finally started putting it into practice,” Djokic said.

The “Speaking Club” is intended for everyone who wants to improve their English, regardless of age.

“Our participants range from high school students to people in their 50s and 60s,” Djokic said.

What distinguishes the program from conventional English lessons is precisely the opportunity for participants to speak with a native speaker and immediately put their knowledge into practice.

“That is what makes the difference. These are not traditional classes where we study grammar and vocabulary. Instead, participants can put the knowledge they already have into practice. That is precisely why they come—they simply want to improve and practice the English they already know,” Djokic said.

In addition to the “Speaking Club,” Djokic also teaches English to anyone interested at the “Next Gen English” school, which, she said, also came about spontaneously.

“One friend asked me, then another, then a third, and that was how the school grew out of those lessons. The school currently has more than 40 students, both children and adults, and we are growing more and more every day. We offer different courses,from beginner level for people who do not know any English at all and want to start from scratch—which is certainly the best option because it allows us to build the strongest possible foundation for further learning—to students who already know English and want to improve further and learn new things,” she stressed.

She pointed out that knowledge of English was essential today, particularly for travel, education, work, and everyday communication.

“Nowadays, without English, we cannot travel anywhere or really do much at all, in the sense that wherever we go and whichever foreigner we speak to, English is the language that serves as the bridge, the language we will use if neither side speaks the other’s language. It is the language of technology, the language of innovation, and the language of all forms of communication, so English is essential in everyday situations,” she stressed.

According to Djokic, knowing English gives people greater freedom and confidence in everyday life, while also making it easier for them to travel, work, and meet people from different parts of the world.

After living in the United States and Sweden, Andreas Gruner Heger recently came to Gracanica as a Peace Corps volunteer. He agrees that launching the “Speaking Club” is an excellent idea, particularly because many people have a solid knowledge of English but do not have enough opportunities to use it in conversation.

“I think it’s a great idea. I’ve been told, and through talking with other people I’ve realized, that people generally have a good understanding of English, but they just don’t have a space, or perhaps a safe space, to speak, feel free to make mistakes, and talk to other people,” Andreas said.

He believes that learning a language can also be a way of connecting people from different backgrounds and cultures.

“I think English is a great language for exactly that reason, because people all over the world speak English. If you learn to speak English, then you have the opportunity to meet so many people from different countries and cultures. It really connects people. So this is a great way to do that,” he said.

While helping “Speaking Club” participants improve their English, Andreas is also learning Serbian.

“It’s going slowly, slowly. I think it’s difficult. I’ve never been exposed to a language like this before. But luckily, people here are very patient, so whenever I try to speak, they listen and even give me some advice and correct me, so I’m very grateful to them for that,” he said.

Andreas also introduced himself to our portal in Serbian:

“My name is Andreas, I am a volunteer, I am from Sweden and America. And I plan to live here for two years.”

Among the participants in the “Speaking Club” are Margita Arsic from Gracanica and Matija Jovic from Crkvena Vodica. For them, the club offers an opportunity not only to improve their English but also to meet new people and gain greater confidence in communication.

“I joined the ‘Speaking Club’ because I want to improve my knowledge and meet new people and socialize with them. I’m very satisfied. I’ve learned new things and met new people,” Arsic said.

She learned English from her mother, who is an English teacher, and now wants to further improve her skills.

“I hope to travel abroad and talk to people because people everywhere speak English, so I hope I’ll travel and study English,” Margita said.

She recommends that her peers join the club.

“It is a wonderful experience, and everyone should learn English. Wherever we go, knowing English is essential for communicating with people,” she said.

Matija Jovic said that he used English every day and believed that his knowledge of the language would be important to him in the future.

“I speak English quite a lot on a daily basis, and I want to learn more so that perhaps in the future I can find a job that requires knowledge of the language,” Jovic said.

He believes that it is difficult to function today without knowing English and invited anyone interested to join the club.

“Anyone who likes English and wants to learn more should definitely come. The sessions are held every Thursday, so anyone interested can join us, speak English with us, give speeches, and learn the language,” Jovic said.

The “Speaking Club” meets every Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Gracanica Innovation Center premises in Laplje Selo.