Illinois Wesleyan University Club Bridges Language Gap for District 87 Students: Empowering Communication and Community

Celina El Ghossaini, a junior at Illinois Wesleyan University, saw a problem and decided to take action. In October, she started the Multi-Lingual Accessibility Club, collaborating with District 87 schools to help non-native-speaking students and their families. The club’s mission is to bridge the language gap by providing interpreters during school-related meetings.

At District 87, over 800 students, about 18% of the total, come from multi-lingual households. For these families, navigating the American education system can be tough. El Ghossaini knows this firsthand. She moved to Illinois from the United Arab Emirates when she was in eighth grade. Although she spoke English well, she found it hard to express herself fully due to cultural differences.

El Ghossaini’s inspiration for the club came during her law classes. She struggled with understanding American legal jargon and context, feeling like she was learning a new language. “I couldn’t grasp many concepts due to the unique context,” she shares. This experience fueled her desire to help others facing similar challenges.

The Multi-Lingual Accessibility Club provides volunteers to assist non-native-speaking families during meetings with school staff. This service is often requested during parent-teacher conferences, ensuring parents can fully understand their child’s progress and communicate effectively with teachers. El Ghossaini emphasizes, “Every parent deserves to know how their child is doing in school.”

While District 87 already offers in-house interpreters for Spanish-speaking families, serving about 70% of the district’s multi-lingual families, there are still gaps. The remaining 30% speak languages other than Spanish or English. Kim Taber, the director of Multi-Lingual Programs, highlights the importance of having someone who speaks the same language during school visits. “It helps people feel welcomed,” she says.

The Multi-Lingual Accessibility Club has grown to include 29 student volunteers who can interpret in 23 languages, such as French, Mandarin, and Swahili. El Ghossaini has plans to expand the program to cover student registration and hopes to extend services beyond District 87 into nearby communities.

This initiative is part of a larger trend towards increasing inclusivity in schools across the United States. Recent studies show that effective communication significantly boosts academic performance and parental engagement among multi-lingual families. With the growing diversity in schools today, programs like this play a crucial role in ensuring every family’s voice is heard and understood.



Source link

Interpreter,Illinois Wesleyan University,IWU,District 87,Non-native-speaking,Immigrant,Multi-Lingual Accessibility Club,Multi-Lingual,RSO,Registered Student Organization,french,russian,swahili,tajik,gujarati,mandarin