Conversation Partner Program

Spring 2025 Registration is closed!

Are you…

  • an international student who wants to practice your English and learn about American culture?
  • a UWM student who wants to help an international student practice English and learn about American culture?
Two masculine appearing conversation partners smile at the camera.
Three conversation partners stand together outside of Curtin Hall and smile at the camera.
Three conversation partners smile at the camera. One of the Asian partners gives a peace sign to the camera.
Conversation Partners meet each other at the Meet and Greet pizza party.
Two feminine appearing conversation partners smile at the camera while sitting at a table and eating snacks.

For more than 30 years, the UWM ELA Program has run the Conversation Partner Program. It runs during the Fall and Spring semesters. The goal of this program is to give international students the opportunity to improve their English skills with a native speaker of English, to learn more about an English-speaking culture, and to get involved in the campus community. This program requires a semester-long commitment.

How the Program Works

International students and native English-speaking students become conversation partners to meet for at least one hour each week to talk informally. The partners can decide when and where to meet. Partners commonly meet for lunch or coffee, and after getting to know each other, often go to events in the city like concerts and tours.

The Conversation Partner Program is beneficial for both partners. It helps international students become more comfortable speaking English and gives them a chance to ask questions they might not feel comfortable asking in class. They can also learn about American culture (or another English-speaking culture) and learn about being a student at an American university. Their partner may also show them around campus and Milwaukee. Native-English speaking UWM students might also be able to count this as a service-learning opportunity through the UWM Center for Student Experience and Talent (SET).

The program also gives UWM students the opportunity to get to know a person from another country and learn about another culture without leaving Milwaukee! It also lets the student see what the UWM experience might be like for an international student. It might also give a native English speaking student the opportunity to practice a language they are learning. Please note, however, that language specific partnerships are not guaranteed.

We hope that the Conversation Partner Program will bring two or more students together and allow them both to gain perspective and a friend!

Spring 2025 Registration is closed!

Register for the Conversation Partner Program! Click on the appropriate link below.

*Please note: we cannot guarantee language specific or gender specific partnerships. We will try our best to match language specific partnerships; however, we do not often have many native speakers of the following languages: Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Japanese, or German. We do our best to match everyone to at least one partner; however, this is completely dependent on registration and commitment.

Contact

If you have any questions about the Conversation Partner Program or want to get involved, contact us at el-academy@uwm.edu.