This organization was started by students, and most of the people who run it are students. If you've noticed the way people talk about newcomers at your school and you want to do something about it, here's where to start.
About volunteer hours. We sign school volunteer-hour forms. Bring the form to a session or email it to us, and a program lead will sign it after the hours are done. We can't certify hours we didn't see, and we won't sign for time that wasn't served — most schools ask us to confirm directly, and we'd rather be a reference you can use.
A chapter is a small group of students at one school who run lessons and conversation practice there. You'll need a teacher or staff advisor and at least three students to start. We handle the training and the materials.
The starter pack covers how to get your group approved, how to recruit, what the first three meetings should cover, and how to schedule your first classroom visit.
One prompt, two ways to answer it: write it or make it. We're looking for what welcome and belonging actually look like where you live — a specific street, a specific person, a specific moment. Not a general essay about getting along.
Entries are read by our team and by teachers from partner schools. Winners are published on this site with the student's permission, and with a parent or guardian's permission for students under 18.
Send your entry to the email address in the footer with your first name, your grade, and your school. If you're under 18, include a parent or guardian's email address. We'll confirm we got it within a week.
No. Conversation practice happens in English — that's the whole point. Speaking another language is useful sometimes, but it isn't a requirement for anything we do.
That's normal, and the training is built around it. You'll practice first, and your first session is alongside someone experienced. Most people find the first ten minutes are the hard part.
Tell us up front. Consistency matters a lot to the people we match you with, so we'd rather put you on classroom presentations or the contest than set up a weekly match you can't keep.
Yes. Group training works well, and a team that shows up together tends to stick with it. Write to us with how many people you have.
A parent or guardian needs to give permission before you start, and we'll ask for their email when you sign up. If anything you do with us gets published — a photo, a contest entry, a story — they have to approve that separately.