A School with a Social Conscience.....
Should students be so inclined, at Conversa they have the opportunity to reach beyond their every-day life, and engage in projects or activities that help the Hispanic community and make the Latin American experience real. These projects or activities are of two types:
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In the Ottawa-Gatineau region:
Imagine opportunities to be friend and 'partner with' a new Spanish-speaking immigrant - someone you could help orient to a new city and country, and someone, of course, with whom you could practice and improve your Spanish. Conversa can arrange this sort of partnership. Or, imagine helping out at the Club Casa de los Abuelos, the Grandparents Club, where you could meet and dialogue (in Spanish, of course) with elderly members of the hispanic community while lending a helping hand. Conversa can help get you involved with this Club. Of, might you be interested in learning about or contributing to LASO, a Hispanic organization dedicated to preventing abuse to women? Conversa can put you in touch with LASO. These are examples of the types of engagement Conversa can provide to students who seek this type of interaction. (Of course, such extra-curricular activities are strictly voluntary, and are only arranged at the expressed request of individual students.)
- In Latin American countries:
Imagine getting to know the story of Rosa Garcia in Guatemala - how she supports a family of 14 on her wages as a spanish maestra. Then imagine travelling to Antigua Guatemala and sitting down in front of Rosa as you begin a two-week Spanish-language intensive. Not only does Conversa support teachers like Rosa, the school can also help arrange intensive language instruction in a variety of settings in Latin America. Or, perhaps you would be interested in a major project to build houses in Guatemala through the Education in Action initiative where the sale of fair-trade coffee here in Canada helps to build those homes so far away. Conversa is linked to, and supportive of, this particular initiative and can offer students opportunities to expand their horizons by engaging in this sort of initiative in Latin America. At the very least, you can get involved by buying the coffee, available at Conversa!
The bottom line is that Conversa is a school "with a social conscience." And for students so inclined, engagement of this type can be very enriching—both personally and in terms of language skills.