Italian Canadian Cultural Centre offering language lessons

By Toyin Obatusin - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on January 11, 2025.

Herald photo by Toyin Obatusin Valentina Mazzocco, Italian teacher with Club Treasurer Lina McNab, earlier this week, prepping for their newly designed Italian classes which start on Jan. 15.

The Lethbridge Italian Canadian Cultural Centre presents a 10-lesson entry level Italian Course, starting Jan.15 that will run from 7- 8:15 p.m, with a surprise for students who make it to the end.

Valentina Mazzocco moved to Canada from Italy with her two kids and husband to start a new life in Saskatchewan. In 2016, they moved to Lethbridge, Alberta where she is now pursuing two degrees at the University of Lethbridge.

Mazzocco is a member of the Cultural centre who wanted to do something that would also help her children learn Italian. She sent the community an email, because her daughters, 9 and 11, used to only speak Italian in Italy with their grandparents, and only spoke English when they would return to Canada.

“I’m really hoping that this will be a fun course, not too heavy. People are working everyday” said Mazzocco. “I would like to keep this approach light”.

Past Italian teachers have always taught a more advanced language program, which made the program lose students. This year, they are starting over with Mazzocco and organizing a basic Italian speaking course. The course has been rewritten to accommodate a beginner module which will start with simple and basic Italian.

All proceeds of the program will be going to charity.

Registration information can be found at lethbridgeitalianclub.com/general-9 or by calling 403-317-1321.