Language Supp Ukraina

Since February 24, 2022, when full-scale war broke out in Ukraine, more than 300,000 children who crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border have already found permanent refuge in Poland. This is a huge challenge in terms of integration, education and language. In addition to the obvious trauma, Ukrainian children have faced and continue to face a serious problem after arriving in Poland - the language barrier. It results in significant disruptions to their education and to the integration into their new environment. Our solution focuses on eliminating these obstacles by offering language support, which is crucial for the integration and educational success of refugee children and youth in Poland.

Refugee children in the Polish education system:

As of today (22.04.2024) there are about 135 thousand children from Ukraine with refugee experience in Polish schools. Which means that in 64 thousand school classes in Poland (that is, in every fourth class) there is already at least one refugee student from Ukraine. Schools have absolutely not been prepared for such a situation, and in these classrooms there are numerous problems arising primarily from the language barrier experienced by Ukrainian children. Communication problems make the educational process more difficult, but also the risk of friction and peer conflicts increases. This is particularly acute for the youngest, who are already experiencing the trauma of war. In major urban centers, refugees have access to language classes, but most local authorities or schools in Poland do not have the resources from the central government to provide such classes. At the same time, there is a lack of funding to keep intercultural assistants in schools to act as cultural "intermediaries" between refugees and the education system.

Refugee children outside the Polish education system:

On top of that, up to 150,000 Ukrainian children are outside of the Polish education system. In September 2024 it will become mandatory for them to enroll in Polish schools. Until now, in theory, they have been learning online in Ukrainian schools, but in practice it is unclear what has happened to them during this time. Since the school's job is not only to take care of the children's educational process, but also their safety and health, the absence of up to 150,000 children from the Polish system means that it is not known whether they are safe, healthy or actually learning. They are left on their own. 

As the Nativated Foundation, in partnership and with the financial support of Save the Children International, we created Language Supp – a platform to provide free Polish language education online in group classes taught by Polish and Ukrainian teachers in July 2022.

Our platform allows students to learn Polish through courses that cover three 90-minute classes per week. The lessons are based on educational materials we have developed together with expert institutions. That's a total of 330 different lessons, focusing on learning Polish and learning about Polish culture. 

The courses are divided into four levels: A1, A2, B1 and B2. Each level has versions for ages up to 12 and for ages 13 and above. As a result, the lessons are tailored to different age groups in terms of content and methodology. Each lesson contains many interactive elements and mini games, making online learning effective and enjoyable for students. The lessons address important social topics such as ecology, equality and healthy living. The courses last from 11 weeks at the A1 level to as long as 22 weeks for courses at the A2, B1 and B2 levels.   

As of April 2024, the platform has been expanded to include a new form of learning - Polish courses in the form of video lessons. This is our response to the huge interest in the platform - more than 14,000 students registered on the platform to take classes, and could not due to lack of places in teacher-led courses. The video courses are tailored to students' individual needs and life situations, providing flexible access to learning materials and the ability to learn at any time. And, most importantly, they can be used by an unlimited number of people. Hence, courses in this form are also available for Ukrainian adults. At this stage, a video course at the A1 level is available, but in the near future the offer will be expanded to include courses at other levels. After the first two weeks of operation of the courses in video format, more than 1,000 students have signed up to start learning in this format.

Our solution is designed for children and young people from Ukraine who, following the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, had to leave their country and find refuge in Poland. They may be experiencing numerous difficulties, from the war trauma, the need to adapt to a new environment, language barriers to social integration and education.

In a foreign country, without language skills, refugee children and adolescents may experience social isolation, lack of self-confidence and difficulties in establishing relationships with their peers. In addition, they face language barriers in Polish schools, which significantly hinders their learning process and integration into their peer group.

With Language Supp, we provide them with access to professional language classes through a digital platform, allowing them to learn Polish in a flexible way, tailored to their individual needs. This solution contributes to breaking the language barrier, which in turn supports the social and educational integration of refugee children and youth, improving their quality of life and giving them a chance for a better future.

The Nativated Foundation, which created the Language Supp project, is an organization focused on running social educational initiatives based on technology. Its founders are Adam Galant and Michal Tarnowski, who both come from the world of startups, but in the spirit of social entrepreneurship and effective altruism, over time they turned their activities into social activities using the experience they acquired in the business sector.  

Our team is made up of 11 young people between the ages of 20 and 33. Four people - so almost half of the team - come from Ukraine. Although they currently live in Poland, they still have close family and friends in Ukraine and are directly connected to the current situation in Ukraine.  Their perspective and sharing of their experience allow us to understand even better the needs of the project's audience and design solutions that meet those needs.

We built Language Supp, a comprehensive Polish language learning platform that enables remote learning of the Polish language through group lessons with teachers based on educational materials developed by our team. 

To date, Language Supp has held 39,550 lessons on 631 different courses. 5384 Ukrainian children have gone through these courses. What is more, 20,201 children have already registered on the platform, 

In addition, As part of the solution, we developed educational materials that teachers use consisting of a total of 330 lessons: 

• 2 11-week courses at the A1 level,

• 6 22-week courses at A2, B1, B2 levels,

• each level of the course is available for two age groups: 6-12 and 13-18 years old,

• each lesson includes a presentation to use during the class, an interactive homework assignment and a script for the teacher.

The platform we have built makes it possible to conduct all stages of the learning process in one place:

• Registration: children, parents and teachers can register on the platform and then complete their profile with various data depending on the type of user. For example, a teacher describes their teaching experience and a student completes their age. 

• Course enrollment: the platform allows you to complete an adaptive placement test, after which the student automatically receives their score and a suggestion on which level they should start their first course. The teacher chooses the level at which he or she wants to teach (A1, A2, B1, B2), the age group of the students (6-9, 10-12, 13-18) and the days of the week and times when the classes are to be held, e.g. 5:00 to 6:30 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Saturdays. The student selects one of the courses published by the teachers. Using the search engine, they find a course that suits their age, Polish language skills and time availability.

• Online classes: the student and teacher log on to the platform at a designated time and join a virtual classroom. The teacher can also communicate with the entire group via text messenger before and after the class.

• Lesson history: the student or parent can view all the lessons completed and use the materials provided to consolidate their knowledge and repeat the material completed with the teacher. 

• Admin: a separate component of the platform is the admin system, which can be accessed by team members. It allows us to check students' attendance in lessons, verify teacher profiles and monitor project progress in real time.

We are currently at a critical moment in the development of our solution. When the Russian aggression on Ukraine started, we reacted quickly. We managed to fundraise money from international donors and build a comprehensive online platform within 3 months. Now, after 20 months of operating the project, we have proven that it is effective and scalable. We have managed to fundraise over $1.2 million dollars and provided comprehensive language education support to over 5000 children. Having proven that our approach is right, we now want to scale it to other refugee contexts. 

Our goal is to partner with new iNGOs and UN agencies to find a sustainable way to apply our language teaching model in places most impacted by forced migration: Turkey, Jordan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Pakistan. We know that we can provide a scalable language learning solution in these places and that we achieve a level of effectiveness higher than the traditional partners of iNGOs globally.

In order to achieve this goal, we need to join forces not only with our current partner - Save The Children - but also other leading humanitarian aid organizations. We hope that Solve could help us in shaping our strategy on building these partnerships. What is more, we will be facing challenges with regard to setting up operations in new countries that include: recruiting teachers, recruiting local staff and aligning our educational guidelines with local regulations. We hope to use the experience in international expansion that Solve mentors have in order to achieve this goal.

Our solution is innovative for several reasons. Firstly, we use modern technology to counter the language exclusion of refugee children and youth from Ukraine in Poland. Through a digital platform, we offer them flexible access to professional language classes. This is a significant advantage over traditional teaching methods such as in-person Polish courses, for people whose situation often changes dynamically (between other places of residence). Many young people with refugee experience do not have access to stationary Polish language courses, and learning with Language Supp is the only option for them. Other NGOs in Poland and even the government have so far been unable to create a solution to address the language barrier in such an innovative way. Language Supp is the only digital solution to this problem in Poland, and many students would not be able to learn Polish without this solution.

Secondly, our solution addresses the problem of the language barrier in a comprehensive manner, aiming to improve the social and educational integration of refugee children and youth. We focus not only on teaching the Polish language, but also on supporting the development of social and cultural competencies, which is crucial to the success of integration.

Thirdly, the scalability of our solution means that we can effectively serve the growing number of refugee children and young people who need support in learning the Polish language and social integration. As a result, our activities can have a significant impact on improving the quality of life and educational prospects of refugee children not only in Poland, but also in other countries where the problem of social integration is present. The scalability of our solution can therefore change not only the local landscape, but also the global approach to supporting refugees through the use of technology.

Our approach can catalyze positive impact by inspiring the use of modern technology in refugee support and social integration. By sharing our model with other organizations and institutions, we can change the educational and social landscape, enabling more effective support for refugees around the world. This can lead to a more inclusive society and better access to education for all.

A survey commissioned by the Polish Ombudsman conducted in March 2023, (over a year after the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine) among school authorities, school principals, teachers, cultural assistants, parents of Polish and Ukrainian students shows that the most important challenge, indicated by all respondents, is the language barrier.

Language Supp theory of change is based on the premise that overcoming this language barrier, and thus integrating and educating young people with the Ukrainian refugee experience, is possible by providing them with professional language classes through a digital platform. This action will have both immediate and long-term positive effects.

Immediate impacts include increasing students' language skills through regular participation in online classes, and improving their sense of self-confidence and social integration through active participation in school and community life. The increase in language skills will allow them to better communicate with their peers and teachers, understand the course material, and better cope with everyday life situations.

Long-term effects include improved social and educational integration of refugee children and youth in Poland. By mastering the Polish language, students will have a better chance of understanding the course material, achieving educational success, and developing the skills they need for their future professional lives. Increased social integration will also result in better relationships with peers and teachers, which will contribute to their overall psychological well-being.

The team regularly tests these assumptions, also measuring the effects of the project. The first step in measuring success is learning progress indicators. 94.71% of the children who completed the courses showed a significant increase in their knowledge of Polish, according to the progress assessment methodology developed in cooperation with Save The Children. Qualitative indicators are the next step. The Foundation regularly conducts telephone and email surveys to gather feedback from the students and their parents, which confirm that this kind of support is greatly needed and actually gives the children strength, a sense of security and self-confidence which translates into the ability to integrate into the Polish environment and continue their education. 

The first measure of the success of our solution is the numerical indicators. Since the project's launch in July 2020 until October 17, 39,550 children have registered on the platform, and 5,384 have enrolled in our free courses. More than 29,000 hours of group classes have been conducted in a total of 631 courses taught by more than 100 teachers, most of whom are from Ukraine. 

As we described in the previous question, we also measure progress indicators on a regular basis. 94.71% of the children who completed the courses showed a significant increase in Polish language proficiency, according to the progress assessment methodology developed in cooperation with Save The Children. 

Another element of measuring our goals is qualitative indicators. The Foundation regularly conducts telephone and e-mail surveys to collect the opinions of wards and their parents, which confirm that this kind of support is greatly needed and actually gives the children strength, a sense of security and self-confidence, which translates into the ability to integrate into the Polish environment and continue their education. 

Our solution is based on an ICT model built in accordance with current trends in commercial software development.

The platform is built in the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, and Node.js) making it dynamic and is undergoing regular improvements. Thanks to a thoughtful design from the beginning of the process, which included UX design, UI design, and a series of development iterations, the platform generates very high user engagement:

• 86% of users go through a 20-minute registration process - email registration, profile creation, leveling test, phone number verification

• 72% of enrolled students complete the entire 11- or 22-week course

The platform was built entirely by our foundation's team. To experience its operation in person, we encourage you to:

• Register on the platform https://www.languagesupp.org/register

• See the platform walk-through: http://tinyurl.com/LSU-WalkThrough 

• See the student tutorial: https://www.languagesupp.org/static/tu... 

There are 11 people working full-time on the Language Supp. These are team members who coordinate the platform's operation on a daily basis. On top of that, there are currently 40 teachers who run Polish language courses for children on the platform. Two external contractors are also involved in the creation of the solution: a professional language school, which develops and provides content for the educational materials for the courses, and a graphic designer, who develops the educational materials graphically. In addition, a part-time person is employed to create educational audiovisual materials for social media – TikTok and Instagram.

2 years

Our team is a diverse one in many ways, including gender - among our 11 employees, 5 are men and 6 are women. It is also an international team, with as many as 4 people coming from Ukraine. Leaders pay a lot of attention to making all members feel welcome, respected, supported and valued in the work environment. They provide equal access to opportunities and promotion - every team member over the course of the project has been promoted to a higher position, which has also involved a salary increase.

The intervention that we implement is providing educational services directly to the population in need via our online model. The key resource that we rely on is our end-to-end languaging teaching platform which has been proven to be a reliable and scalable tool. The key partners that we include in our business model are the iNGOs and humanitarian aid agencies already working in the areas affected by large-scale migration.

Our first key activity is to create a language teaching curriculum that is aligned with the needs of a specific population. The second key activity is to recruit teachers with professional experience in teaching a given language. The third key activity is to conduct outreach that reaches the population in need. The fourth key activity is to provide regular, professional and safe language classes. The last key activity is to monitor and evaluate the teaching process and gather lessons in order to further improve our model.

The value that we provide to the refugee population is firstly the ability to speak the language of their new country and secondly a broader ability to successfully integrate in their new environment. Our beneficiaries want to receive our services because breaking the language barrier is the most crucial first step in preventing their isolation in their new community.

Our cost structure is based on two pillars. The first one is the direct cost of generating classes which cover the salaries of teachers providing the lessons. The second one is the costs of project maintenance and development which cover the team salaries and IT infrastructure costs.

Our main goal is to provide refugee children with free language education which they cannot receive elsewhere. That is why we want to rely on the humanitarian sector financing as the revenue source. We use this money in order to sustain our team, to pay the teachers providing classes and to further develop our platform. 

The financial resources of the humanitarian aid sector are very big. What is more, the expiry date that is put on donors' money often makes spending very quick. A lot of this money is being spent in an inefficient way while technological advancements allow for widespread and deep innovations in the sector. This is what Language Supp proves. None of the UN agencies and big iNGOs which entered Poland had an idea how to tackle the problem of language exclusion of thousands of Ukrainian refugee children in small cities and rural areas. We knew that an online language teaching platform was the only solution and we proved that it could be delivered successfully.

Having raised over $1.2 million together with Save The Children over the last 20 months, we now want to partner up with other humanitarian aid agencies in order to be able to scale the project further.