{"id":4354,"date":"2024-11-11T11:25:17","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T17:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/english-language-academy\/?page_id=4354"},"modified":"2026-01-06T10:15:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T16:15:12","slug":"conversation-partner-program","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/english-language-academy\/programs\/conversation-partner-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Conversation Partner Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"uwm-p-notice uwm-p-notice--warning uwm-p-notice--slim\"><div class=\"uwm-p-notice--content\"><div class=\"uwm-p-notice--message\"><strong>Spring 2026 registration is open. <\/strong><br><br><strong>MARK YOUR CALENDAR<\/strong><br>&#8211;  <strong>Registration deadline is Wednesday, February 11th.  Please register below.<\/strong><br>&#8211;  Matches will be made by Monday, February 16th.<br>&#8211;  Partner Meet &amp; Greet event is Wednesday, February 18th from 3:30-5pm.<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Are you\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>an international student who wants to practice your English and learn about American culture?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>a 51ÁÔÆæ student who wants to learn about other cultures and help an international student practice English and better understand American culture?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-slider\"><div class=\"uwm-p-slider--base\"><figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/english-language-academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/301\/2025\/09\/Untitled-design.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/english-language-academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/301\/2025\/09\/CP-Photo-1-resized-.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/english-language-academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/301\/2025\/09\/CP-Photo-2-resized.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/english-language-academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/301\/2025\/09\/Untitled-design-2.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" \/><\/figure><figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/english-language-academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/301\/2025\/09\/Untitled-design-1.png\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-connecting-cultures-building-friendships\">Connecting Cultures. Building Friendships.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For over 30 years, the 51ÁÔÆæ English Language Academy (ELA) has offered the Conversation Partner Program during the fall and spring semesters. This program pairs international students with native English speakers to help them improve their language skills, learn about American culture, and become more engaged in the campus community. Participation requires a semester-long commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a0\">How the Program Works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Participants meet <strong>at least one hour per week<\/strong> to talk casually in English. You and your partner decide when and where to meet\u2014over coffee, lunch, on campus, or even at local events like concerts or museum visits. Many partners form strong connections that extend beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Benefits for International Students<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Practice English in a relaxed, supportive setting<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ask questions you might not feel comfortable asking in class<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Learn about American culture and campus life<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Explore 51ÁÔÆæ and Milwaukee with a local student<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Benefits for Native English-Speaking Students<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Meet someone from another country and culture<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gain intercultural experience without leaving Milwaukee<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Learn about the international student experience at 51ÁÔÆæ<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Practice a language you\u2019re learning (when applicable)*<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>May qualify for <strong>service-learning credit<\/strong> through the <a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/set\/\">51ÁÔÆæ Center for Student Experience and Talent (SET)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>*Please note: Language-specific pairings are not guaranteed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Shared Experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At its heart, the Conversation Partner Program is about mutual learning and meaningful connection. Whether you&#8217;re an international student or a native English speaker, this is your chance to share perspectives, build cultural understanding, and maybe even make a lifelong friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-notice uwm-p-notice--warning uwm-p-notice--slim\"><div class=\"uwm-p-notice--content\"><div class=\"uwm-p-notice--message\"><strong>Spring 2026 registration is open. Registration deadline is Wednesday, February 11th.  Please register below.<\/strong><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ready-to-join-click-on-the-appropriate-link-below-to-register\">Ready to join? Click on the appropriate link below to register.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.office.com\/r\/9kZ7atnApt\">International Students<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.office.com\/Pages\/ResponsePage.aspx?id=w3rKC7b8_U6J623pdgPPISYOACFMJxFEk6JC8efMAQZUNlI5VUI5REc5N0lJUjlMTEZHTlRLNFI2Qy4u\">Native <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.office.com\/Pages\/ResponsePage.aspx?id=w3rKC7b8_U6J623pdgPPISYOACFMJxFEk6JC8efMAQZUOERGR01YMzk2SThQRlZKMUlSOVJGNFRGVy4u\">English<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.office.com\/Pages\/ResponsePage.aspx?id=w3rKC7b8_U6J623pdgPPISYOACFMJxFEk6JC8efMAQZUNlI5VUI5REc5N0lJUjlMTEZHTlRLNFI2Qy4u\"> Speakers<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If you are an international student from an English-speaking country, please complete the Native English speakers form.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>*Please note: <\/em><\/strong><em>we cannot guarantee language specific or gender specific partnerships. We will try our best to match language specific partnerships; however, we <strong>do not<\/strong> often have many native speakers of the following languages: Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, or German. We do our best to match everyone to at least one partner; however, this is completely dependent on registration and commitment.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a1\">Contact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have any questions about the Conversation Partner Program or want to get involved, contact us at&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:el-academy@uwm.edu\">el-academy@uwm.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you\u2026 Connecting Cultures. Building Friendships. For over 30 years, the 51ÁÔÆæ English Language Academy (ELA) has offered the Conversation Partner Program during the fall and spring semesters. This program pairs international students with native English speakers to help them &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7664,"featured_media":0,"parent":94,"menu_order":14,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"class_list":["post-4354","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>English Language Academy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/english-language-academy\/programs\/conversation-partner-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Conversation Partner Program\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Are you\u2026 Connecting Cultures. 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