[VIDEO] Lonely, Elderly Americans Help Young Brazilians Learn English
The subject of our weekly column FEEL GOOD FRIDAY is a heartwarming video story about how technology was used to not just make kids able to learn English but also fill the void in the lives of lonely, elderly Americans living in retirement homes in single attempt.
By Sadho Ram — 09 May 2014, 07:38 AM — Updated over 10 years ago
Young Brazilians want to learn English and elderly Americans living in retirement homes just want someone to talk to. How do you solve both these problems?
For the young Brazilian students looking for a novel way to learn fluent English, and senior citizens at a Chicago nursing home looking for some new friends, Brazil's CNA language schools, in an adorable stroke of genius, created "Speaking Exchange" which paired the students up with their elderly counterparts.
'Speaking Exchange' chats take place via an exclusive digital tool that uses video chat technology to bring the students face-to-face with Americans
The young Brazilians and older Americans connect via Web chats, and they not only begin to share a language—they develop relationships that enrich both sides culturally and emotionally
The differences in age and background combine to make the interactions remarkable to watch. And the participants clearly grow close to one another, to the point where they end up speaking from the heart in a more universal language than English.
mediabistro.com
"The goal of the Speaking Exchange project is to transform lives," explains CNA’s marketing director, Luciana Fortuna
“Our students have the opportunity to practice English with people who are willing to listen. During the chat sessions, the students discuss ideas and information from their lives in Brazil with the American senior citizens, many of whom have never had contact with anyone from Brazil before.”
engadget.com
The pilot project was implemented at a CNA school in Liberdade, Brazil, and the Windsor Park Retirement Community in Chicago
The conversations are recorded and uploaded as private YouTube videos for the teachers to evaluate the students' development.