English Club sponsored by The Clarewood Institute provides free-of-charge opportunities for new Asian immigrants to learn and practice conversational English. Club members often meet in the conference room of the Clarewood Institute at Rockville, Maryland, which lies in the center of Montgomery County. Sometimes, meetings are conducted in other places where members could enjoy even more informal settings.

      Just outside the Beltway of the nation’s capital, Rockville has the largest Asian population in the Washington, D.C. area. Barred by language-barriers, many foreign-born Asian people have difficulties adjusting to new lives in the United States and struggle to find gainfully employed jobs.

      With the support of several native English-speaking volunteers, the English Club has been able to attract dozens of new Asian immigrants, their spouses, and their children to practice oral English on an informal and periodical basis. Divided into several small groups, Club members could practice spoken English in a friendly, fun and relaxed atmosphere.

      Volunteer instructors often choose special topics to discuss for the English Club. Some of the topics selected include: comparisons of American and Asian cultural traditions, Halloween customs, items of Thanks-Giving meals, the Christmas tradition, and Christmas-decorating items,