Every year, the nonprofit organization Embrace Relief offers refugees worldwide the opportunity to learn English for free through online classes. It’s a noteworthy venture and what’s especially unique is the teachers aren’t adults, but middle and high school students at Magnolia Science Academy-5 (MSA-5) in Reseda.
Called the First Bricks Education Project, volunteering students meet on Saturdays during the school year to connect via Zoom with people from around the globe. Those taking the courses could be fellow middle or high schoolers, or older college-level students and beyond.
What’s also unique is the shared experience the young teachers have in common with those they are teaching.
One of those students is Keyri Villatoro Echeverría, an upcoming 11th grader from El Salvador and an English learner who’s been in the United States for five years. This past school year was her first time volunteering for the project. She was able to help 10 online students with their English while simultaneously improving her own skills.
“My experience doing this was actually fun. I had one student that I connected [with],” Echeverría said. “We talked about personal things … and she understood that I can’t speak English very well, but I’m trying to help her learn and she knows that at the same time, I’m learning with her. It’s been very nice because we don’t know each other, but we’re still friends.”
As she helped others with their English skills, Echeverría noticed she was becoming less shy and more expressive. She hopes to continue building up her confidence in English as she works towards becoming a veterinarian.
When asked what she would say to those interested in joining the project, Echeverría said, “It’s a good opportunity because it helps with community service hours … and also [builds] leadership skills. Plus, it’s fun.”
The project uses a curriculum established through Voice of America Learning English, a multimedia news source that offers English newscasts as a method to help others learn English. A counselor leads the classes for the first few weeks as the students build their English skills. Once the students reach a certain threshold, they are paired with a student teacher.
Ali Kaplan, principal of MSA-5, said that these student teachers share struggles similar to those of online students taking the course in terms of trying to learn a new language, and the project is a way for them to connect.
“Our students are first generation, and this program [aligns] with the experiences of their parents, not knowing English and struggling to find a job,” Kaplan said. “Language is a barrier, and with this program, the students are able to give back to the community.”
The program begins a new cohort every eight weeks, and the student teachers can use the opportunity to complete volunteer service hours toward the Congressional Award Program – those who complete the requirements get sent to Washington, D.C., to receive a Congressional Award gold medal, as one student teacher did last year. Since the project’s launch, 32 MSA-5 students have volunteered.
For more information about the project, go to https://www.embracerelief.org/first-bricks-education-project/.
