Spanish Lessons for Better Tourism and a Better World
Article printed in Sustainable Travel Report, Vol. 3 No. 7, July 2005.
The Sustainable Travel Report newsletter is available at
http://www.sustainabletravelinternational.org.
When you travel, knowing the local language can mean the difference
between a good trip and a great one, staying healthy, getting lost or
sitting on the most beautiful, silky sand beach you've ever seen.
Speak Shop is doing its part
to promote healthier, happier trips to Spanish-speaking countries while
helping to alleviate poverty in those countries. Through private
tutoring and simple video conferencing technology, Speak Shop makes it
easy for people throughout the world to take face-to-face Spanish
lessons with experienced instructors in Guatemala. Before a traveler
sets sail for Latin America, they can take one-on-one Spanish lessons
from home through their computer using video, audio and text chat.
Every lesson is personalized and can be scheduled at the traveler's
convenience.
For example, a Spanish teacher earns about $1.50 per hour working in
Guatemala and faces layoffs during slow seasons, but at Speak Shop they
can teach year-round and set their own rates. At the same time,
students receive affordable private tutoring, paying just $5 or $6 per
hour, and avoid the hassles of driving to lessons or committing to
fixed class schedules.
Speak Shop was awarded "Best Social Return on Investment" in the 2005
SET Inventors Challenge: Social and Environmental Technology for the
Developing World, a business plan competition for companies that
generate social or environmental benefits in developing countries.
Speak Shop plans to expand beyond Guatemala and Spanish in the future.
"We hope to create an international online community and make it easier
for people all over the world to communicate," said Co-founder Cindy
Cooper. "Globalization has connected our economies, but people are
still divided by cultural, political and religious beliefs.
Understanding and acceptance start with language."
About Speak Shop
Speak Shop was founded by Clay and Cindy Cooper, and its mission is to
increase access to foreign language education while providing new
economic opportunities for tutors in developing countries.
Contact:
Cindy Cooper
267-295-2862
Learn Spanish for Good
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