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What is the Bilingual Village?

The Bilingual Village is a physical and virtual network of schools and community partners that enables language learners to practice speaking their new language. 

Community partners are public businesses, organizations, agencies, and individuals that interact with and encourage second language learners so they can practice their new language in a welcoming space.

The goal of the Bilingual Village is to facilitate the development of bilingualism in children and adults through linking schools with communities that speak different languages.

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What does the Bilingual Village do?

The Bilingual Village bridges classrooms and communities, enabling PK-12, college, university, and adult education language learners to use their new language with community partners who speak the language.

Schools, colleges, and universities that educate second language learners partner with the Bilingual Village to provide their students with two types of real language practice experiences.

  • School to community (STC)
    Students visit local community partners to use their new language with employees and volunteers who speak the language.
  • Community to school (CTS)
    Community partner volunteers visit participating classes (virtually or in person) and engage with students in the languages that the students are learning.

Who can belong to the Bilingual Village?

School Partners

Teachers and other school personnel become Bilingual Village School Partners by completing an application indicating which second language their students are learning. School partners include:

  • Elementary, middle, or high schools that serve students who are learning:
    • English as a second language (ESL) in regular subject and ESL classes
    • Spanish as a second language (SSL) and ESL in dual language classrooms
    • Spanish, French, Portuguese, and so on in World Languages classes
  • College, university, adult education, and community-based (e.g., libraries, churches) programs that serve students who are learning:
    • English as a second language in ESL classes
    • Spanish, French, Portuguese as a second language in World Languages classes

Community Partners

Community members become Bilingual Village Partners by completing a form indicating which language(s) they or their employees speak.

Community partners include:

  • Businesses and Professional Services
  • Organizations
  • Agencies
  • Individuals

Language Learners

Second Language Learners become Bilingual Village members through participating in School-to-Community visits to Community Partner establishments. They include:

  • Individual K-12 students and their families
  • Adult education, college, university, and other language program students

Why belong to the Bilingual Village?

Everyone benefits from celebrating the value of speaking more than one language in our communities and schools. What a richness of languages and cultures we can share with each other in the Bilingual Village!

Students who are learning:

  • English discover local places that appreciate the difficulty of trying to speak a new language in public and who respond to them in an encouraging way. 
  • Spanish or other world languages practice their new language without leaving their hometown. 

Interested in Helping?

Help us serve all language learners who want to participate. Donate for student Bilingual Village buttons & learning materials.

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