Language Translations Ensure Equitable Experiences
Annual Fund donations are critical to the millions of children reached by National Inventors Hall of Fame® (NIHF) programs nationwide. Donors fund all the most vital elements of NIHF programming, year after year. For many children, language translation is among the most important resources made possible by your gifts.
With Annual Fund contributions, NIHF is able to afford language translation services for key components of each program, such as registration flyers and curricula. As these programs welcome children across communities, language translation also makes it possible for children learning English as a second language to fully engage, collaborate and discover their own potential through inspiring invention education experiences.
Ohio’s Lorain City School District is just one district where children have benefited from the meaningful donations that give them full access to Camp Invention® with materials translated into their primary language.
Providing Equitable Opportunities for All Learners
Located about 25 miles west of Cleveland, Lorain is home to a diverse community, and many students in the district come from homes where Spanish is the primary language. Thanks to the NIHF Annual Fund, districts like this one have the translation resources they need to communicate with the families of kindergarten through sixth-grade students who will benefit from attending Camp Invention, regardless of their first language.
ESL students who participate in each year’s camp program enjoy an equitable experience because they are provided with translated materials and tools including Inventor Logs.
“Camp Invention really provides those students that have a Spanish-speaking background or another language background to work with other students that would help them problem solve,” said Anna Enders, a teacher at Lorain City Schools, in an interview with NIHF. “They are able to communicate through group activity, through discussion and through problem solving, using those materials.”
Mayra Couglin-Ewers, assistant principal at Frank Jacinto Elementary in Lorain City Schools, agrees. “I do believe that Camp Invention as a program is extremely beneficial for all children,” she said. “Especially for children who come from mostly Spanish-speaking homes, because then it allows them to work side by side with a partner and really engage in the language in a safe, friendly, peer-centric way.”
Because Camp Invention creates a collaborative environment where everyone is encouraged and supported, children learn to see great potential both within themselves and in others. This atmosphere, coupled with equitable, translated learning materials, boosts children’s confidence and language skills while assuring them that they are all capable creators and innovators.
“I have noticed a lot of children coming out of their shells,” said Enders. “I’ve noticed a lot of collaboration, a lot of problem solving, a lot of discussion and risk taking.”
Ultimately, language translation for camp materials means greater empowerment for children learning English as a second language. The impact of this type of accessibility can reach far beyond the summer days children spend at Camp Invention.
“I think that children seeing themselves as problem solvers empowers them,” said Couglin-Ewers. “It’s the discovery of ‘I am a powerful person, I am an intelligent being, and I can do these things.’ And that carries throughout life.”
Make a Difference for More Children Nationwide
Each time you make a contribution to the NIHF Annual Fund, you’re helping more children to transcend language barriers, communicate and collaborate with their peers, and become the creative problem finders and problem solvers who will shape the future.
Use the link below and select “Area of Greatest Need/Annual Fund” as the program you would like to support to help make these wonderful experiences possible for more children across the country.
When you give today, you can change tomorrow.