English Conversation Partners

One-on-One Conversations matches international students, scholars and their spouses/partners at Yale with volunteers from the New Haven and Yale communities for language and culture exchange. The time commitment is minimal and for the participants of this program the possible benefits include:

  • Sharing your culture with others
  • Expanding your understanding of people, the world and cross-cultural communication
  • Practicing teaching skills
  • Offering friendship across cultures

Meetings are scheduled for one hour per week at any mutually agreed upon on or off campus location. Minimum commitment is four weeks, with the aim to continue for at least one semester (12 weeks). The topic and format of the meetings is up to the participants. Most often, participants engage in informal conversation; however guidelines and suggestions for topics if desired are available through the OISS. Meetings are usually conducted in English and no knowledge of a second language is required or even necessary.

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