1DAY4DU: Spanish Speaking Denver

Every May, 1DAY4DU encourages the DU community to make a difference in the lives of our students. From new faculty-led programs and initiatives that support students to a diverse range of research that impacts the wider world, your help allows us to further broaden the resources we can provide. 

Our goal will always be to care for our immediate and extended communities and for the organizations that mean something to us, individually and collectively, through these projects.

This year CAHSS has four projects that we are excited to include for 1DAY4DU 2022!

Spanish Speaking Denver

Spanish-speaking students at DU, both advanced and beginner, typically have few opportunities outside the DU classroom and/or their homes to use and grow their Spanish as a way to further their academic and professional trajectories. This campaign aims to enable DU to provide students paid internships and immersive language experience with non-profits around Denver so that students can develop their Spanish language in a professional setting and serve the Colorado community, which otherwise would be difficult to pursue.  

In 2021, the project received a grant to support the initiative. The project has been well received by community organizations who seek skilled Spanish speaking professionals in a variety of industry areas. In order to make this project sustainable, we need additional support from community members and alumni to make these internship opportunities possible for DU students. The goal is that each year a cohort of 15 students would receive funding to pursue a Spanish speaking paid internship in a Denver-based organization. These paid internships would allow students to improve their academic and professional language skills, fill a community need and identify ways to leverage their language skills in a future career. Students would receive training prior to their internship experience, and the internship experience would include an oral history project, giving voice to the unheard in our communities.

The immersion continues as Spanish-speaking students, who are supported and are placed across Denver, also help to contribute Spanish language recordings to a Special DU Oral History collection focused on hidden voices in Colorado (agriculture, domestic work, child-care, etc.).