The students are enrolled in a unique course titled “Learning English Through Volunteering,” which provides students the opportunity to learn English through community service projects in the Philadelphia area.

A recent trip to the Church of the Advocate kicked off the class for the spring semester. The setting was a busy soup kitchen at 18th and Diamond streets, a few blocks from Temple’s Main Campus.

As student N’fa Traore handed plates to kitchen clients, he paused when he noticed the portions were not the same. Turning to his classmates, he hesitated for a moment before saying, “It’s not the same, it’s...uneven, the plate is uneven.” A Mali native who hopes to apply to Temple’s law program, Traore smiled proudly at his newfound understanding of the word “uneven.” Such verbal triumphs are exactly what IELP was designed for.

Traore is one of 150 students currently enrolled in the program, which helps students improve their English language skills. Students not only take classes in writing, reading, listening and speaking, but also have the opportunity to choose how they would like to learn the language: through conversation, movies, games, art or, like Traore, by helping others in need.

The “Learning English Through Volunteering” course originated in January 2005 when James Perren, a former IELP teacher at Temple, decided to create a class that would help students practice the English language while benefitting Philadelphia neighborhoods.

“My goals were to have students using the English language in authentic situations while meeting an important community need,” said Perren.

Since 2005, 191 students have participated in the class and hundreds of community members have been helped.

Over seven weeks, students visit six different sites and participate in activities varying from feeding the homeless to building bicycles for children’s bike donations.

“The class is successful because it’s different from everything else they’re learning,” said IELP teacher Miriam Oppenheimer. “It’s the whole thing — the traveling, the interaction with different people, the hands-on activities, etc. It’s unpredictable, which leaves leeway for even more opportunity to learn,”

Already, that unpredictability is helping student Nayif Kalla develop stronger communication skills. Kalla, who is from Qatar, aspires to complete the IELP program in July and continue his education at Temple University in engineering.

After visiting the Church of the Advocate, he reflected, “I learned a lot today about communication and being thankful. I am living a great life. I am lucky because I have everything I need, and now I know that there are a lot of people I could help in Philadelphia.”