named programs · 1 · from sources
What they call their work
Language Conversation Partners Program
Connects forcibly displaced native speakers with students learning languages for paid online conversation practice, promoting language fluency and cross-cultural exchange
activities · 2 groups
What they do
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Cultural Exchange and Mutual Understanding Programs 1 activity
- Employing displaced individuals as paid language and cultural conversation partnersProvides one-on-one language and cultural exchange sessions by employing forcibly displaced people as paid tutors, offering students global language practice in Arabic, Spanish, French, and German, while facilitating cross-cultural dialogue on topics such as Middle Eastern Studies, Latin American Studies, Africana Studies, Francophone Studies, and Migration and Displacement.
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Organizational DEI Capacity Building 1 activity
- Providing cultural sensitivity training for staff and program participantsConducts mandatory cultural sensitivity training for administrative team members and all conversation partners, including required readings and discussions on race, gender, borders, and humanitarian aid to ensure awareness and respectful engagement with forcibly displaced communities.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$45K
Contributions & grants$10K22%
Program service revenue$35K78%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$35K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$31K
balance sheet
Total assets$33K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$33K
2 years on record · 2021–2023 · YoY revenue -25.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023
Who runs it
board members · 7
- Asif Saad — Board Member
- Elise Shea — Chair of the Board
- Jenna Hornsby — Board Member
- Max Gaegauf — Board Member
- Nicolas Vivalda — Board Member
- Rukundo Jean Marie Vianney — Board Member
- Zoe Van Gyseghem — Executive Director
relationships · 12
Who they work with
- Conversation Partners Partner — Core partners who advise on all strategic decisions and contribute to program development and organizational growth.
- Conversation Partners Partner — Trained individuals with lived experience of forced displacement who facilitate language learning
- Elise Partner — Founder and director of Conversations Unbound, leading the organization's mission and programs.
- Facebook Partner — Platform used to share updates and engage with supporters.
- French Language Professor Partner — Provides endorsement and feedback on the integration of conversation sessions into academic language instruction.
- Instagram Partner — Platform used to share updates and engage with supporters.
- Léon Partner — Long-time Spanish tutor with Conversations Unbound who conducts conversational language sessions with students.
- Rukundo Jean Marie Vianney Partner — French Language Conversation Partner contributing to program insights and participant impact narratives
- Twitter Partner — Platform used to share updates and engage with supporters.
- UNHCR Partner — Collaborates with UNHCR through translation support in refugee interviews and medical exams.
- high school and university language programs Partner — Integrates Conversations Unbound into curricula by partnering with educational institutions to provide students with one-on-one language tutoring.
- italki Partner — Partner organization that facilitates connections between students and fluent Arabic and Spanish speakers with backgrounds in forcible displacement.
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Participatory Leadership and Lived-Experience Centered Design 75 orgsmethodology: participatory_designBy involving displaced individuals in strategic decision-making and allowing self-definition of displacement status, the organization ensures programs are shaped by those most affected, because centering lived experience increases relevance, equity, and ownership in program design and outcomes.shared approach: Community-Led Response →
- Conversation-Based Language Learning for Confidence and Fluency 63 orgsmethodology: conversation_based_learningBy focusing on ungraded, emotionally engaging conversation about familiar topics, the organization helps learners achieve fluency and confidence, because low-pressure speaking practice reduces anxiety and mirrors real-world language use more effectively than traditional grammar-focused instruction.shared approach: Culture-Integrated Language Education →
- Cross-Cultural Dialogue Through Language Exchange 63 orgsmethodology: cross-cultural_dialogueBy pairing forcibly displaced tutors with language learners in structured conversation, the organization fosters mutual cultural understanding and language acquisition, because shared dialogue builds empathy, challenges stereotypes, and transforms both parties into active participants in cross-cultural learning.shared approach: Culture-Integrated Language Education →
- Dignified Work and Economic Empowerment Through Tutoring 37 orgsmethodology: economic_empowermentBy enabling displaced individuals to work as language tutors who retain full income and set their own schedules, the organization promotes economic empowerment and rehumanization, because fair compensation and autonomy restore agency and challenge the passive victim narrative in humanitarian aid.shared approach: Empowerment Through Self-Reliance →
- Trauma-Informed and Culturally Responsive Programming 5 orgsmethodology: trauma_informed_programmingBy integrating awareness of forced displacement and its intergenerational trauma into program design, and by valuing linguistic diversity, the organization creates inclusive, respectful learning environments, because acknowledging historical and cultural context fosters safety, belonging, and authentic engagement for both tutors and learners.shared approach: Culturally Embedded Skill Building →