Bright Idea: A Skype to Remember

Written by Justin Deimen.

Acknowledging that interaction with native English speakers is the best way to learn, a language school in Brazil noted that one of its biggest problems is finding the right people for their young students to practice English within a safe and engaging environment. Many of their earlier initiatives either did not work due to time-constraints or were not cost-effective enough to be sustainable. Then inspiration struck through the use of simple technology that we now take for granted – webcams!

The school, CNA, worked on the novel way of helping the students learn English through the power of the camera via the “Speak Exchange” project. The truly positive and inspirational element of this idea is that it’s not just inter-cultural but inter-generational as well. On the other end of the call are the elderly residents of the Windsor Park Retirement Community in Chicago. The Brazilian teenagers are paired up with American senior citizens who are extremely welcoming and gracious with their young callers.

Through the exchange, they then have organically developed conversations via webcam about their lives, families and culture, building powerful bonds in the process as well as perfecting their phrasing and use of the English language. These conversations prove to be a win-win for all involved as the elderly find companionship and purpose by mentoring young people through their vast life experiences and teenagers get to not just become more confident speakers but also better people.