Use Web 2.0 to Create "Intercambios" in Your Community

by Ann Abbott

Are you a university student who couldn't get into a Spanish class this semester, but you don't want to fall behind on your language skills? Are you planning to study abroad next semester, and you want to boost your confidence by speaking with native speakers before you're totally immersed in Spanish? Maybe you took a Spanish community service learning (CSL) course in a previous semester, and you know that there are a group of Spanish speakers who would love to connect one-on-one with university students to practice English and Spanish; they don't know how to bridge the university-community gap from their side, but you want to help. Maybe you're way past college, but you want to brush up on your Spanish because you see you need it at work, or just because you love the language and the cultures.

Go to the website for Frases y café and set something up. The website is new, and right now it looks like Illinois has zero entries. Start filling it (or any state you live in) in, and start connecting with the community in this way!

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