Spanish - Beginner

Patrick was born in N. Ireland, raised in Lanarkshire, Scotland and moved to Nicaragua in 1986 where he lived and worked for 33 years as a trainer/facilitator, designing and delivering courses and workshops on diversity and social inclusion issues.

On arriving in Nicaragua in 1986 Patrick was based for 6 years in an isolated rural area of the country, and learned Spanish through ‘immersion’, since very few people spoke any English. His Scottish Higher in Spanish, a Spanish course on cassettes and a Collins English-Spanish dictionary, however, came in handy!

In 1993 Patrick moved to Managua and began working with Nicaraguan nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) in the development of training courses, materials and resources (in Spanish) on diversity and social inclusions. He specialised (and continues to do so), in the development of participatory training methodologies for engaging men and boys in the transformation of harmful masculinities, to reduce violence against women, promote involved fatherhood and improve the quality of life of both women and men of all ages.

Since the early 2000s, Patrick has collaborated extensively with NGOs, governmental entities and United Nations organisations in their endeavours to engage men and boys for the prevention of violence against women (and between men) across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) including Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic. He has authored and co-authored multiple training manuals and other educational resources and materials (in Spanish and English).

On moving back to Scotland in 2019, Patrick returned to Lanarkshire and is currently living in Bellshill. His decades of experience as a trainer in Nicaragua and across LAC, and the methods’ training provided by Language for Fun equip Patrick with the skills needed to coordinate Spanish for Fun in North Lanarkshire; and to deliver quality Spanish courses for beginners and improvers, and for intermediate and advanced learners. Patrick is passionate about the Spanish language and Latin American cultures and music and speaks Spanish daily for both work and pleasure.