FALK: First Aid Language Kit for Migrants

“FALK: First Aid Language Kit for Migrants” aims at making healthcare services more accessible for migrants through developing and upgrading language skills on medical issues in the host languages of 6 EU countries – Turkey, Bulgaria, Spain, the UK, the Czech Republic and Cyprus.

FALK has developed a First Aid Language Kit for Migrants as a comprehensive multi-device language tool providing country-specific information on the healthcare systems of the host countries as well as health-related language skills for successfully seeking and receiving medical help. The Kit includes 3 separate elements each one providing medical language information for both autonomous learning and learning within formal and non-formal language courses – Medical Language Pyramid, Medical language study-videos and a Learning platform.

The FALK products can be used either by (volunteer) educators within formal and non-formal language and integration courses offered to migrants or as a self-study material used by migrants.   

The project objectives include:

• To develop innovative language products and thus to improve the skills of language educators working with migrants and the capacities of organisations working for the integration, language training and welfare of migrants
• To improve the language competences of adult migrants on healthcare matters in the host country language
• To facilitate the access to healthcare of adult migrants by providing them with country-specific information about the healthcare systems in 6 EU countries

To support healthcare professionals to communicate efficiently with migrant patients and to improve the quality of the offered medical services

Year(s): 2018 - 2020

Target group(s): Language educators, healthcare providers, adult migrants

Website or other online channels: www.falkproject.eu

Methodology

FALK aims to make healthcare services more accessible for migrants through developing language skills on medical issues in the host country language. This is achieved through the developed First Aid Language Kit for Migrants which can equip migrants with a set of health-related language skills and on-the-go information for immediate access to health services.

The First Aid Language Kit is developed on one hand by using multimedia learning, interactive and audio-visual techniques, and on the other, by creating language content relevant to the main migration factors influencing negatively the health of migrants. FALK addresses the European Parliamentary Research Service conclusions on The public health dimension of the European migrant crisis published in 2016, reviewing the health problems faced by migrants and the aspects which have negative influence on their health. The document distinguishes 6 groups of medical problems as priority areas for addressing migrants’ health needs which have been embedded in the First Aid Language Kit.

The project also facilitates healthcare providers to overcome communication barriers resulting from language differences with migrants, reduce misunderstandings and offer adequate medical help.  

Type of product

Online resource Video clips / Films

Brief description of the outcomes

The First Aid Language Kit for Migrants includes:

Medical Language Pyramidas word and phrase glossary providing medical terminology in priority topics related to health problems of migrants. The Pyramid is divided into 6 topics as priority medical areas for addressing migrants’ health needs – Injuries, Communicable diseases, Non-communicable diseases, Mental health, Health problems specific to women, Travel and weather-related health issues. The Pyramid is available in 12 languages – English, Turkish, Bulgarian, Spanish, Czech, Greek, Arabic, Farsi, Georgian, Russian, Ukrainian and Romanian.

Medical language study-videosproviding visual and audio recreation of different medical scenarios for (self) language learning purposes. They are divided into the 6 priority medical topics and linked to the language information contained in the Medical Language Pyramid. The videos are available in 6 languages – English, Turkish, Bulgarian, Spanish, Czech and Greek.

Learning platformproviding a Virtual Map on the healthcare systems of the partner countries in 12 languages and a Testing Ground for practicing language content in 6 languages.

The Virtual Map provides country-specific information on the healthcare systems of the host countries – Turkey, Bulgaria, Spain, Cyprus, the Czech Republic and the UK. The Map is divided into topics and contains information specific for the respective country related to Emergency, Non-emergency, Health insurance, Vaccinations, Dental care, Sexual health, Child birth and care and Preventive healthcare.

The Testing Ground provides an opportunity for learners to practice language information in 6 languages – English, Turkish, Bulgarian, Spanish, Czech and Greek. It is divided into the 6 priority medical topics and each of them includes exercises related to the information provided in the Medical Language Pyramid and the Medical Language Videos. The exercises are focused on testing language skills like listening comprehension, reading comprehension, vocabulary, etc.

Impact on target groups / Transferability potential

The Kit aims to help migrants develop basic language competences necessary for better access to health services through the application of innovative context-related and learner-centred tools providing language information linked to the migrants’ immediate needs for medical attention.

It also supports (volunteer) language educators working with migrants by providing them with new attractive methodologies and products to apply in a language teaching process and thus improve the capacities of organisations active in the field of migrant integration. The product is useful, among others, to volunteers and educators working at integration centres and refugee reception facilities where language training for newcomers is offered.

FALK can also influence healthcare providers to overcome communication barriers resulting from language differences with migrants, reduce misunderstandings and offer adequate medical help.

Promoter of the initiative: RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN UNIVERSITESI (Turkey) ; KU TU EOOD (Bulgarian partner)

Country: Bulgaria Cyprus Czech Republic Netherlands Spain Turkey United Kingdom

Languages available: Bulgarian Czech Dutch English Greek Spanish Turkish

Website or other online channels: http://www.kutu-bg.eu