Speak Shop is an award-winning social venture based in Portland, Oregon co-founded by Cindy Cooper, who now runs Portland State University's Social Innovation Incubator, and her husband in 2004. Speak Shop connects students from all over the world with Spanish-language tutors in Guatemala at affordable prices, while providing an alternate income and path out of poverty for the tutors.
Since 2005, Speak Shop has enabled over 35,000 lessons taught over Skype, generating an estimated $350,000 for Spanish tutors in Guatemala.
Speak Shop is an innovative model for connecting those from underserved regions with the world market, while empowering them as micro-entrepreneurs and providing the opportunity to elevate themselves from poverty to prosperity.
Contact Information
Speak Shop website
Speak Shop on Facebook
Speak Shop on Twitter
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Remote Tutoring
- The trend of remote tutoring provides opportunities for connecting students with tutors from around the world.
- Socially Responsible Ventures
- The trend of socially responsible ventures offers opportunities for businesses to make a positive impact on underserved communities, like Speak Shop's model of empowering tutors in Guatemala.
- Language Learning Platforms
- The trend of language learning platforms presents opportunities for innovative companies to provide affordable and accessible language education, such as Speak Shop's 1-1 Spanish tutoring over Skype.
Where This Applies
- Education
- The education industry can adopt remote tutoring platforms and language learning platforms to enhance learning opportunities for students.
- Social Impact
- The social impact industry can explore socially responsible ventures like Speak Shop to create income-generating opportunities for underserved communities.
- Online Services
- The online services industry can develop innovative platforms for language learning, similar to Speak Shop's model of connecting students with qualified tutors.
