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- Access to Markets and Education: Fair Trade Language Tutoring via Webcam (http://www.SpeakShop.com)
Access to Markets and Education: Fair Trade Language Tutoring via Webcam (http://www.SpeakShop.com)
Voting Summary (Elevator Pitch):
Speak Shop reduces poverty by creating a global marketplace of language tutoring via webcam, linking tutors in developing countries with a world market of learners, forging microentrepreneurs and fostering cross-cultural learning and respect.
Supporting organization:
Speak Shop
URL:
http://www.SpeakShop.com
City:
Beaverton
State/Region:
OR
Country:
USA
Project Vision Statement & Potential Social Impact:
Few problems perpetuate suffering more than lack of economic opportunity. Without jobs and decent wages, individuals, their families and their communities are stuck in a cycle of poverty – poverty of income, health, education and hope. In developing countries, even skilled, hard-working individuals struggle in poverty because of barriers beyond their control, the foremost of these being access to markets. Poverty can be eradicated through market opportunity. By eliminating barriers to trade and information, the web democratizes access to markets and education.
Speak Shop, a web marketplace for live language tutoring via webcam, taps into videoconferencing technologies and leverages the web's scalability to exponentially increase:
- Economic opportunities for low-income language tutors in developing countries
- Language learning opportunities for individuals around the world.
Tutors become micro-entrepreneurs, setting their own rates and hours and selling tutoring services to prospective students of all backgrounds, ages and abilities. Traditionally, tutors in places like Guatemala are unemployed during most of the year due to tourism cycles. They are now able to teach online year-round at higher hourly rates. People interested in learning a language register on our site, review tutor profiles, select a tutor and schedule, pay for and take one-on-one lessons via webcam. Students leave lesson feedback, driving tutor accountability and quality on an ongoing basis. Social benefit is maximized for tutors and students alike. Our international networks of tutors and students benefit through interactions with each other, and our marketplace model ensures fair pay for tutors and convenient access to the best method for learning a language for students. We will expand our model to other languages by finding skilled instructors in areas with the greatest need for job creation and poverty alleviation. Online tutoring is a sustainable option for skilled, hard-working individuals to change their lives, thrive and prosper.
Sustainability (financial) model:
As a marketplace, Speak Shop succeeds financially and socially through volume. The more we grow, the more lessons tutors can sell, the more cross-cultural connections can be made, the more students can learn and the more tutors can run successful online micro-businesses. Speak Shop's revenues are from membership fees charged to students and based on the number of lessons they wish to take each month. Students pay tutor lesson fees separately, and Speak Shop does not take any of the lesson fees. Speak Shop has had success with this revenue model designed to generate financial sustainability through scalability while making tutors accountable directly to their clients. The world market for language education is very large and growing rapidly. There is latent demand worldwide for language education with professional, native-speaking instructors. Languages are becoming vital for personal and business competitiveness. Speak Shop's flexible model will include multiple languages and countries.
Potential obstacles:
Launching new ideas is inherently risky, but in our first two years we have proven our concept and overcome many hurdles. The biggest of these was proving that people could learn a language through online videoconferencing and have fun doing it. Other key obstacles include:
- Digital Divide: We are helping tutors access computers and broadband through partnerships and microfinance opportunities.
- Communication: Students and instructors can have difficulty communicating given language and cultural differences. Our services must bridge these gaps.
- Customer Outreach & Retention: For large-scale impact, we need ongoing innovation, high visibility and a large customer base.
Resource Needs:
We have a very cost-effective operational model, built for scalability. Speak Shop's co-founders have self-funded and been effective at achieving significant results with very little. As we are now starting to expand into more countries, we are finding we will need human resources, additional bandwidth and technological improvements.
Key Milestones:
- Launch improved scheduling, curriculum and learning management systems
- Double tutor base with new tutors from Guatemala, Nicaragua and Mexico
- Reformat external website to reflect expanded offerings
- Begin developing gaming-based contextual learning system
- Develop podcast and videocast lessons
- Double customer base through confirmed media exposure
Project Summary:
Speak Shop reduces poverty by creating a global marketplace of language tutoring via webcam, linking tutors in developing countries with a world market of learners, forging an industry of online educators who operate as micro-entrepreneurs and fostering cross-cultural learning and respect.
Comments
There is one important
There is one important question I want to ask about this project. Are these learning courses accredited, recognized worldwide or we should start thinking about getting fake diplomas to prove that we actually attended a language course? I know it's harsh but there are many employers that don't really care if you know a language as long as you don't have the papers to prove it.
This program sounds pretty
This program sounds pretty functional, and the most important, it is very necessary for the labor market. This way everybody has a plus chance for a better education or for a better job and the labor market will become more competitive. Nouveau Riche
This is one of my top 7
This is one of my top 7 proposals. Good luck!
Thank you for putting us in your Top 7!
We really appreciate your vote!
I saw your comment about us in your slate - "Languages open up opportunities and promote understanding; there's no reason language learners shouldn't leverage the net and native speakers wherever the teacher and learner may live."
Exactly!
And, the Speak Shop model brings microentrepreneurship language tutoring opportunities to the places that need it most. It's hard to imagine that someone with a university education who skilled in teaching a language would live at poverty level, but this is what happens when there are gaps in supply and demand. The web is an equalizer, bringing networks of students and teachers together for the benefit of all.