Any student interested in learning about Latin American culture or improving their Spanish speaking skills has the opportunity to do so through Club Olas. Club Olas Niles is one of the 12 national chapters of the parent organization, Project Olas, led by students from Georgetown University. The outreach of the club does not just span nationally, however. Students within Club Olas have a chance to learn Spanish from Guatemalan women (who club members refer to as “moms”) as their tutors from vulnerable Central American communities via Whatsapp.

The founder of the Niles branch of the organization, Elle Gilbert, created the club as a means of sharing the knowledge she gained through her involvement in Project Olas. “I have learned so much from my Project Olas mom in my weekly Spanish lessons, and want to share what I learn about Latin American culture and social impact issues with my community,” Gilbert said. “I feel that having a deeper connection to another culture through conversation with peers, and learning that culture’s language leads to a larger global mindset and understanding of the world.”

Within the club, students have a chance to learn Spanish from a native speaker, hold fundraisers, watch Spanish movies, discuss social impact (such as women’s rights, climate change, machismo), and other various activities. Their initiative is providing a steady income for Guatemalan women, who would normally earn $3-4 a day. In order to do this, the money the club obtains through fundraising goes to these women.

“One of our main long-term goals is to hold various fundraisers to help Project Olas subsidize data plans for Olas moms and provide financial aid to low-income students to take lessons,” Gilbert said. “Not only will these fundraisers support our parent organization, but they will also allow all interested students to develop their Spanish skills.”

Evan Arvizu, Marketing Executive of the club, has found the experience in the club to be very rewarding. “We’ve talked a lot about issues like women’s rights and education, and I’ve been learning a lot about Latin American culture. It’s also helping me with my Spanish,” Arvizu said.

While the club has been creating solutions to global problems, they have found ways to work around the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well. “I think we’ve done a good job navigating COVID,” Arvizu said. “We have had a mix of virtual and social in-person events, making sure to social distance and wear masks when we get together.”

For Harsi Gandhi, Vice President of the club, the pandemic has served as a means to show appreciation for club members.

“Elle and I organized a special initiative for members by making goody-bags for them, and two weeks ago, we had an in-person meeting where we were masked and socially distant,” Gandhi said. “We simply wanted our members to know that we appreciate them for showing such dedication to the club, although we aren’t in school.”

The club is looking forward to recruiting more members belonging to each grade. “I would love students to get involved in Club Olas by coming to our meetings and following @clubolasniles on Instagram,” Gilbert said. “If you are interested but still a bit shy about learning Spanish, don’t worry, it’s not required to join Club Olas–everyone is welcome.”

For more information on Project Olas or starting lessons, please visit the Olas website: https://www.projectolas.com/.