The English-Speaking Union

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The Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center (ARNIC) Community Lounge

The ESU Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center opened its doors in 2013 and has welcomed over 1,250 members to our home. Here participants can improve their English and access professional development opportunities, while meeting other new immigrants and native New Yorkers.  Highly accomplished in their countries of origin, many ARNIC members are unemployed or working survival jobs in New York City. They look to ARNIC to open up paths to success.

At the heart of this vision is the ARNIC Community Lounge. A vibrant part of the ESU House, the Lounge is a place where ARNIC members can practice English with native speakers, borrow a book from our lending library, share a meal around our communal international table or use our computers and printers to work on resumes, apply for jobs or access higher education. The ARNIC Lounge builds community and intercultural dialogue among English language learners from more than 90 countries. A place for meeting and informal learning, the Lounge is also, of course, a place to eat. Coffee is brewing throughout the day, and members can grab healthy snacks and make sandwiches in a welcoming environment.     

The Lounge was made possible by the generous donation of Dr. Earl Quinn Peeper, National President of the ESU and Michael David Harold, a member of the ESU and a national patron of the organization. Additional funding was provided by Andrew Romay, the Foundation to Promote Open Society, the Elizabeth & Stanley D. Scott Foundation and William R. Miller CBE & Irene Miller.

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