Our Story
Supporting Chat for Change Means Supporting Your Community
Hi! My name is Layan Ridi, the founder and executive director of Chat for Change. I started Chat for Change after coming to two realizations. The first was the value of free conversational practice with native speakers. When learning a new language, we often focus heavily on grammar rules, and our exposure to realistic spoken conversations is limited, if not nonexistent. The second is the importance of conversation as it is a powerful tool for building understanding and opportunity. For many, speaking a second language can help with attaining jobs, traveling, and even making new friends. With these two ideas in mind, I created Chat for Change. We realize that many high schoolers lack affordable language practice, while others are eager to volunteer their time in meaningful ways. Chat for Change bridges this gap by connecting high school volunteers with learners seeking conversational practice. We've worked tirelessly to bring this idea to life through a system that's easy to use, safe, and effective. We hope that each conversation is a step toward making the world more connected and helping youths achieve their goals of fluency in another language. Our story is just beginning, and we'd like to invite you to be a part of it. Whether you are a volunteer eager to make a difference or a learner excited to practice your skills; we welcome you to join us in connecting the world, one conversation at a time.
