English classes had been offered many times in the small town of Mossyrock, Washington, but they never caught on with the growing Latino population. As more Spanish-speaking immigrants moved into the community for farm jobs, the language barrier was dividing this town of 2,300 in the southwestern part of the state.
Members of the Mossyrock Horizons rural leadership develop group came up with an idea: why not promote cultural understanding by offering all residents, Americans and Latinos, a chance to learn each other’s language? It would serve a dual purpose: engage the ideas and perspectives of the town’s newest residents while developing a workforce that could improve the local economy. The result is the Mossyrock Language Exchange Program, which is free and open to anyone who wants to learn English or Spanish as a second language.
“What’s different now is that the community is behind it. It’s not just the English-speakers saying ‘you have to learn our language.’ English-speakers are making an attempt to learn the Spanish language and culture,” said Jackie Morris, a resident who was active in Horizons. “It changes attitudes and breaks down stereotypes when you try to learn another person’s language.”
Horizons is a community leadership program to reduce poverty in small rural and reservation communities with fewer than 5,000 people and poverty rates of at least 10 percent. The goal of the 18-month program is to develop leaders with skills that help communities understand poverty, identify actions that will lead toward prosperity and then lead the community to lasting change.
The Foundation supports grassroots organizations and communities in their efforts to build the skills, knowledge and networking needed to reduce poverty long term and to move to sustainable prosperity. This includes identifying and tapping local assets, such as the talents and energies of all residents. Since 2003, grants to several university extension services and a tribal college have supported the delivery of Horizons training and coaching directly into close to 300 small communities in the Foundation’s region.
After completing the Horizons 18-month curriculum last year, members of the Mossyrock group formed the nonprofit Mossyrock Area Action League (MAAL) to continue working toward change. MAAL sponsors and organizes the Language Exchange Program, which is held at a local business two days a week. While the leaders are constantly recruiting new learners, Morris and the others have seen the program improve the downtown business climate. They are excited to develop a more skilled workforce with the potential to move the community toward prosperity. “Learning English offers our new residents a huge advantage in terms of job skills and the potential to move into higher paying jobs in town,” added Morris. “It’s making the Latinos feel like they're welcome here and they have something to contribute to our town’s prosperity.”
For more information: Horizons Community Blogs
