UP TO SPEEK WITH THE COURSE MANUAL

She did not speak a word of Portuguese when she arrived. (female) is from Syria and migrated to Portugal to pursue her studies. has his own business providing tours in Lisbon, a city that he considers his city too. learned Portuguese, taught French and even met his girlfriend, who was a Portuguese Buddy at SPEAK. (male) came to Portugal without speaking Portuguese and without knowing anyone. The project helped her so much in her new life in Portugal that she started a SPEAK chapter in another city, Aveiro. She joined the project as a Buddy (teacher) and as a participant to learn Portuguese, due to difficulties in integration that she experienced which were related to her Portuguese language skills. (female), from Mexico, participating in Leiria, Portugal. There are dozens of real-life examples from the project, including these examples from Portugal: Results from the project show that participants gain a greater sense of inclusion. In 2018, SPEAK launched in 7 new cities using a social franchising model, and it expects to reach a total of 20 cities by the end of 2019. Since 2014, SPEAK has completed more than 630 courses, and its community has organised more than 270 events. SPEAK is currently a community of over 22,000 people spread across 19 cities in Europe. However, the courses and group meetings all take place offline, given the importance of face-to-face interaction.

UP TO SPEEK WITH THE COURSE MANUAL

The experience is delivered and organised through an Online2Offline model, where web technology enables efficiency by managing all processes (payments, registration, materials, etc.), reducing manual work and giving scalability to the project. Uses technology for impact: SPEAK increases impact through its technology.They become more aware of the ‘other’ and different cultures, and they share their histories, thus breaking down prejudices, barriers and stigmas and making new friendships. Breaking barriers through empathy: During the 12 weeks of the course, participants meet and get to know each other.All participants are equal, and as they learn or help others learn languages and cultural knowledge, they build meaningful relationships. Language courses to build relationships: SPEAK uses the need and motivation to learn a language as a way to bring together migrants and local residents.They also help each other overcome challenging situations, such as finding a job or getting access to the national health system. Participants assist each other in the learning process and organise events. Community-based: Language group participants are agents of change and not passive recipients of help.Potential participants also find out about SPEAK through social media advertising and recommendations made by other participants. The events can be of various types: linguistic exchanges, quizzes, treasure hunts, thematic dinners, etc.Ĭlasses take place at SPEAK’s partner organisations, which work directly with the project’s target audience. These events are open to the community at large and aim to bring people together and build relationships between them, helping not only in their language development but also by including them in community life. SPEAK Ambassadors (people from the SPEAK community who help to organise activities in each city) organise weekly events. Buddies are often also students in other courses (which they can attend for free). Participants who volunteer to give lessons, called ‘Buddies’, commit to setting aside 3 hours per week for 12 weeks to prepare and give lessons. The courses are low-cost (€29), with scholarships available so that no one is left out. The course format encourages participants to get to know each other and thus create a support network while increasing their linguistic knowledge. There are two levels for each language: a basic level for those who are beginning to learn a language and a conversational level for those who already have basic knowledge but need to practice and develop their skills. Each language group meets for 12 sessions, with each session lasting 90 minutes. Interested participants can sign up to join a group on SPEAK’s website. Language groups of between 4 and 18 participants are organised in various cities across Europe.

Up to speek with the course