There is an enormous need for English education in many parts of the world. Our work is a drop in the bucket of that need, but that doesn’t limit our impact. We strategize to find ways to turn our tiny drop into a tidal wave. Using our resources well is about finding the ripple. If we start that kind of chain reaction, there are almost no limits on the impact that’s possible. Here are three places where we’ve found the ripple in our work.
Universities
University students make ripples wherever they use their education. Higher education has been a part of our strategy since 1981. Students congregate at universities from all over a country (or even the world) and then take what they gain back out into the world. College is a great moment to connect with students because it is naturally such a social and formative experience. Through education, we are honored to play a part in who students are becoming and what they will bring back to their communities or into positions of leadership.
Teacher Trainings
Local teachers in our host countries make ripples in classrooms where we will never teach. In several of our countries of service, we've established programs to train the teachers who are already at work in their own communities. The response has been remarkable. These local teachers talk about re-sparked hope and tangible growth in their teaching from their experience learning new techniques from native-speaking English teachers. These programs help teachers continue their education throughout their careers.
Now, the ripple analogy breaks down a little bit on this one because we don’t just start the process and leave it to roll out on its own. Our training programs include supporting and following up with teachers over time to ensure they have what they need to continue growing. We can only be in so many classrooms, but we can equip teachers from everywhere to help students we have never met.
Global Mobilizer Internship
College Interns make ripples on campus. To serve students, we need to send teachers, and we find them in a wide range of ages and backgrounds. Many of our teachers hear about us on their college campuses before they graduate. Our staff mobilizers visit often, but nothing compares to living in a place to find connections with people there. Global Mobilizer Interns are current college students, so they have ongoing friendships with students who might be future teachers, not to mention their infectious energy and enthusiasm for the work we do. These interns increase the number of teachers who go, which means bigger teams and eventually more teams, more countries, more students, and more lives changed for the better.
Finding the places where we can ripple is the key to our strategy for expanding our impact. We are deeply invested in the meaning of our work and want to see as many people impacted as possible. As we watch the ripples roll out, we are humbled by the wave of impact carried by others when we hand off the baton and support them as the work expands in their capable hands.