The GLOBAL BRIDGE Program
The GLOBAL BRIDGE Program is a collaborative effort between the International Center and the International Business Club and is designed to bridge the gap between the languages, cultures and students represented here at WSU. International students and domestic students are paired up and encouraged to meet with each other to learn and share about each other’s culture and language. This program is a great way to meet new people, learn about other cultures, and even prepare you for studying abroad! Many students get involved in The GLOBAL BRIDGE Program as a Campus Friend, Language Partner or both!
Campus Friends often go out together to explore and enjoy the various fun activities around the campus and the area. They have coffee, try out new food at restaurants or cook for each other, relax and enjoy Coffee Hour and other programs at the International Center, play sports together, go to Cougar Events (concert, musical, theater show, nuthouse, movies, football games, etc.), and have fun together with many other things.
Language Partners do many of the same things as Campus Friends, with more emphasis placed on language exchange. This program is meant to foster and promote language learning in a real life setting, outside of a traditional classroom.
The GLOBAL BRIDGE Program is also listed as one of the programs at the Center for Civic Engagement. Participants who register through the Center for Civic Engagement SL PRO system can gain volunteer hours that are recorded as community services in professional/academic portfolios. Both international students and domestic students are welcomed and are eligible to gain the hours.
Campus Friends and Language Partners are not meant to be tutors. This program is intended to help students learn about other cultures and languages through conversation and interaction. This program is for all levels of English, from the beginners to the proficient, so don’t be afraid of making mistakes when speaking English.
This program differs from the Peer Mentor program in that it is more loosely structured with meetings being at the leisure of both campus friends/language partners.