Immersion for Spanish Language Acquisition (ISLA)

Program Overview

ISLA offers a free, weekly educational Spanish language and cultural immersion program for Hispanic/Latinx children ages 3 to 18. At ISLA, we serve first-, second-, and third- generation immigrants who are heritage speakers. Our aim is to close the opportunity gap and open doors for Hispanic/Latino youth, their families and community. Classes are held every Saturday of the school year at St. Thomas More Catholic School in Chapel Hill, NC.

Cost Info

Student and Volunteer Success Stories

One of our 3rd grade teachers shared a story about Ian, a student she had been working with on reading and writing in Spanish. This teacher taught Ian last year in the 2nd grade, so she has been able to see clearly the progress he has made from one year to the next. She recalled how insecure and shy he had been about his Spanish when she first started working with him. She spent time reading one-on-one with him and also encouraged him to read out loud to his classmates. Overtime, she witnessed his confidence grow and at ISLA's end of year celebration this past December, Ian was one of the students selected to represent his class in a school-wide performance. He did a reading in Spanish in front of the whole school and exhibited the pride for his language and culture that we always wish for each of our students.