{"id":76691,"date":"2024-07-23T13:23:57","date_gmt":"2024-07-23T19:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/?p=76691"},"modified":"2024-07-23T13:23:57","modified_gmt":"2024-07-23T19:23:57","slug":"english-conversation-partners-program-bridges-cultures-at-sait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2024\/07\/23\/english-conversation-partners-program-bridges-cultures-at-sait\/","title":{"rendered":"English Conversation Partners Program bridges cultures at SAIT\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Welcome to ECPP: <\/strong>Jerry Rollick, the onboarding coordinator for SAIT student engagement, sits at the student engagement office’s front desk on May 17, 2024. He works on the English Conversation Partners Program (ECPP), pairing students and volunteers to ensure they have smooth conversations and enriching cross-cultural experiences. (Photo by Jiaqi Su\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

S<\/span>AIT\u2019s English Conversation Partners Program (ECPP) \u2014 which connects the students and volunteers to improve their English skills \u2014 kicked off for the spring semester on May 13.<\/p>\n

This spring, the program has reached its largest participation level with 280 participants from SAIT students, faculty and alumni.<\/p>\n

According to its website, SAIT has around 2,000 international students from over 140 different countries. ECPP launched in the fall of 2020 and pairs English as an Additional Language (EAL) students with volunteers who are fluent in English.<\/p>\n

As international student numbers continue to rise, the ECPP has become a vital resource for students to improve their English proficiency while enjoying a unique\u00a0cross-cultural\u00a0experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt helps them develop some really important skills and awareness and appreciation and respect for people from a different background,\u201d said Jerry Rollick, onboarding coordinator of SAIT student engagement.<\/p>\n

ECPP starts accepting registrations about eight weeks before each semester and closes at the end of the first week of the semester.<\/p>\n

Participants can register as students if they speak English as an additional language (EAL) or as volunteers if they are fluent in English, whether they are students, faculty or alumni.<\/p>\n

This program also provides a way for alumni and faculty to stay connected to the SAIT community, said Rollick.<\/p>\n

Once paired, the participants meet in person or online, practicing their English for at least one hour each week with flexible topics based on each student’s unique experience and personality.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Cross-cultural experience: <\/strong>Audrey Quitayen, a student engagement coordinator at SAIT, also volunteers in the English Conversation Partners Program (ECPP). She sits in her office in the SAIT Heritage Hall building on May 21, 2024. She has dedicated four years to volunteering and says she still enjoys her involvement in ECPP. (Photo by Jiaqi Su\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Audrey Quitayen, a student engagement coordinator at the SAIT, also volunteers in this program. She joined the program when she was an international student in 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can relate more to their struggles and their challenges,\u201d she said, explaining why she continues volunteering at ECPP to help international students.<\/p>\n

Quitayen was paired with three students last semester.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe learned from each other’s life during the insights [every] week, and we talked about everything under the sun,\u201d said Quitayen. \u201cThere’s always something to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Volunteer registration for the fall 2024 semester will open on July 8, 2024, and student registration will open on August 5, 2024. More information can be found on\u00a0their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Simar Suman is a healthcare leadership student from India. She said this is her third week as an international student at SAIT.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I’m not able to understand what they’re saying. There’s some type of either too fast or their English is sometimes incoherent because of their own accent,\u201d Suman said. \u201cSo, I guess it could be pretty helpful with that. I might enroll [for the next program].\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt allows people to kind of expand their sense of community on campus and sense of belonging versus is.\u201d \u2013 Jerry Rollick.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"
Build community: <\/strong>Jerry Rollick, the onboarding coordinator for SAIT student engagement, takes a break during his work at SAIT on May 17, 2024. He works on the English Conversation Partners Program (ECPP), pairing students and volunteers to ensure they have smooth conversations and enriching cross-cultural experiences. The office is decorated with flags from various countries, highlighting their commitment to embracing diversity. (Photo by Jiaqi Su\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SAIT\u2019s English Conversation Partners Program (ECPP) \u2014 connects the students and volunteers to improve their English skills \u2014 kicked off for the spring semester on May 13. As international student numbers continue to rise, the ECPP has become a vital resource for students to improve their English proficiency while enjoying a unique\u00a0cross-cultural\u00a0experience. [ READ MORE ]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":901,"featured_media":76695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_ef_editorial_meta_text_assignment-slug":"S1 English Conversation Partners Program JS","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,1587],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-76691","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-campus-2","8":"category-sait-learning"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/901"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76691"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77364,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76691\/revisions\/77364"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}