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Hi Reader,
Last year we held the first ever Language Access Week in Nebraska, and this year, we’re doing it again! Join us the week of June 9-13 to celebrate Language Access and how our community helps people connect through language and understanding.
By taking part in Language Access Week, you’ll learn about organizations practicing language access in the Omaha Metro community, understand what Language Access means and be challenged to put it into practice in your own community. Plus, you’ll have fun along the way!
To kick things off, let’s do a quick quiz:
| What does “Language Access” mean? |
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If you chose "All of the Above", you’re right! All of these are different ways of framing Language Access.
If you’d like to get involved, here are the four best ways to take part:
- DONATE: Help us reach our goal of raising $2,000 in matching funds! Thank you to Valmont Industries and Emspace+Lovgren for their generous contributions to creating the matching funds. To help us meet this goal, plan to donate between June 9 and 13!
- RSVP: Hit “I’m going” to the Language Access Week on Facebook so your network can learn about Language Access too!
- SHARE: Last year, our Language Access Week posts reached over 10,000 people in our community. You can help us reach even more people by sharing Language Access Week posts to your stories or feed. If you make a post of your own, make sure to tag us (@WorldSpeaksOMA on Instagram & @WorldSpeaksOmaha on Facebook) and use the hashtag #LanguageAccessNebraska!
- JOIN: Join us for our Empanada making event at No More Empty Pots on Thursday, June 12 at 6:30 pm! This event will show folks who speak English as their first language what it's like to need interpretation, a language access tool. The cost of tickets is $15 to cover the ingredients – and they go on sale on May 26 at 10 a.m.! Visit this link & bookmark the page to grab your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/language-access-week-empanada-making-class-tickets-1349015053339?aff=oddtdtcreator
Before Language Access Week kicks off, we’ll send an email with resources on how you can learn about and support Language Access during Language Access Week – and all year long!
We’d also like to thank our incredible sponsors - Valmont Industries and Emspace+Lovgren - for supporting Language Access Week
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Leadership on Leave: Meet Our Short-Term Interim Director! |
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Things will look a little different around the World Speaks office this summer. Our Founder and Executive Director, Leah Whitney Chavez and her husband Randy (who is also our volunteer Communications Manager) are welcoming their new baby in July! During her parental leave, we are excited to have Naomi Hattaway step in as our Interim Executive Director.
Why are we having someone step into Leah’s shoes while she’s getting much-needed time with her new family member? Because we believe our work is important, and the employees who bring that work to life are the most valuable piece of the puzzle. Bringing in a professional interim allows us to ensure that our work continues seamlessly without burdening any of our team members or causing program disruptions to the services our community needs!
Naomi is a longtime friend of World Speaks and an expert in helping organizations navigate through times of transition like parental leave. She’s also enthusiastic about what we do, so we know that World Speaks will be in good hands during Leah’s leave. Naomi says that she is committed to language access based on “seeing firsthand how language barriers perpetuate systemic inequities and prevent communities from accessing critical resources they're legally entitled to receive.”
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In honor of our first Arabic class this summer, we wanted to share a connection between Arabic and Spanish (one of our other popular language class languages).
Recently, Latin City, a festival celebrating “Diverse Stories of Latino People, History & Cultura” shared how interwoven Arabic and Spanish are. “For over 700 years, much of Spain was part of the Islamic world — a region called Al-Andalus. During this time, Arabic became deeply woven into everyday life, shaping art, science, architecture and language.”
Many Spanish words have their roots in Arabic, including:
- Ojalá/Ajalá
- Azúcar
- Taza
- Naranja
- Albahaca
Want to see more? Visit the post on Facebook!
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Summer Language Classes Open May 30
Get ready for one of the ultimate perks of being a World Speaks newsletter subscriber – early registration for our language classes!
This summer, we’ll offer 3 classes, including our newest class, Arabic 101, and registration opens on Friday, May 30! Be on the lookout for a registration email on the afternoon of the 30th! We can’t wait to learn with you!
(If you were a student in a past class, make sure to leave us a Google Review!)
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Come work with World Speaks!
If you missed our email from earlier this month, we’re hiring a Part-Time Linguistic Associate to provide interpretation and translation in Spanish. Their job will include fulfilling internal (organizational) and external (client) requests and administrative duties. You can learn more, and find out how to apply, at: https://forms.monday.com/forms/0a38a33976487eb0689c2f855abe397d?r=use1
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Want to join World Speaks in our work? There are three ways you can do so!
- Volunteer! We are always looking for native speakers interested in being in-class mentors. We’d love to have you join us this summer!
- Donate – Every donation – large or small – improves language access in our community.
- Visit our store for shirts featuring our Super Power wear!
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- May 30: Summer Class Early Registration
- June 9-13: Language Access Week
- June 21: World Refugee Day
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Thanks for being a part of World Speaks!
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