BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – It seems a simple idea – assist a family in need. Yet that idea becomes more complex when language is a barrier.
Illinois Wesleyan University students have been working to break down that barrier by heading into the community and using their growing knowledge of the Spanish language to help not-for-profit organizations. The students are part of Spanish for Social Justice, which examines social justice issues, from housing and health care to education and employment.
“Students have a lot of opportunities to practice Spanish, but in their fieldwork they are learning so much more than just language,” said Chair and Professor of Hispanic Studies at Illinois Wesleyan Carolyn Nadeau. “Students have let faculty know they want a chance to work in the community, and this class gives them an opportunity to do that while experiencing an Hispanic culture.”
A discussion of projects with community partners will take place at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8 at Beckman Auditorium in The Ames Library (1 Ames East, Bloomington). The presentations will be followed by the distribution of the first community-wide assessment of Hispanic families by one of the partner not-for-profit organizations, the Hispanic Families Work Group. Copies are free and available to the public, which is invited to the event.
“This is a great way to show the power of what students can do when we all combine our strengths with community partners,” said Deborah Halperin, vice chair of the Hispanic Families Work Group and coordinator of the Action Research Center (ARC) on campus. Halperin used her ARC connections to help Nadeau create projects with area not-for-profit organizations. “Projects such as the students working with Habitat for Humanity are a great example of bringing together students, community organizations and the University in a very meaningful way,” said Halperin.