“The time we give is so little, but it has such a big impact,” says Sin Barreras Program Director Lily Clausen on her volunteer experience through Madison House. Sin Barreras is a nonprofit organization devoted to helping immigrants and native Spanish speakers in the broader Charlottesville community. The organization provides a variety of services, including advocacy work, social and legal help, and GED classes. “We educate, support and serve the immigrant community focusing on the Hispanic population of Charlottesville and the surrounding areas,” reads the Sin Barreras website.

UVA students have the opportunity to get involved with Sin Barreras through the LAMA (Latinx and Migrant Aid) program at Madison House by helping to teach English to Spanish-speaking adults and children in our community. Lily explains, “The people we work with are beginners in English, and our tutors come and help them not only improve their English skills, but also, just as importantly, ... be comfortable and confident speaking [the language].” 

Volunteers offer tutoring sessions at the Church of the Incarnation in Charlottesville. Upon arrival, 15 UVA volunteers are partnered with one of approximately 20 ESL (English as a Second Language) students. They work through lesson plans provided by Sin Barreras. “There are around 10 [lesson plans] and they go in chronological themes,” explains Lily. Some of the themes include family life, holidays, weather, greetings, and common phrases. The goal is for the use of English in everyday life to become easier and more accessible for the students. 

Lily has found that being a tutor is a very rewarding experience. Her favorite volunteer service during the past three years was working with ESL students. Now, as Program Director, her primary role is to assist students and volunteers logistically and to ensure that “everything runs smoothly during the tutoring sessions.”

First-year UVA student Mariam Abdel Okhowa volunteered with Sin Barreras for the first time in January. “I really enjoyed my first experience volunteering with Madison House at Sin Barreras. I was worried I would have issues connecting with my students, but that disappeared the minute we met. They were kind, easy to talk to, and, most importantly, very eager to learn,” she reflects. Mariam sees that the language lessons empower her students to use new language skills with confidence as they navigate through their daily lives, and she cannot wait to continue volunteering for the rest of the semester. “I look forward to further getting to know my students and being able to help them reach their language goals.” 

Sin Barreras has partnered with other Madison House programs to provide additional services. For example, this past December, LAMA volunteers partnered with Holiday Sharing, a program that provides gifts and food for families in need. “One of Holiday Sharing’s goals is spreading generosity around the holiday season, especially for those [for whom] it may be a harder time of year," says Lily. The partnership with Holiday Sharing meant that some of the LAMA students and volunteers participated together on distribution day. "Our volunteers got to be there, so it was a nice experience,” she adds.

Sin Barreras has served more than 9,000 Spanish speakers and immigrants in the Charlottesville area, and Madison House volunteers are proud to support their mission to engage in advocacy and outreach, as well as provide direct services that overcome potential language and cultural barriers. 

To learn more about Sin Barreras and the impact they have in our community, visit their website.

Author: Cecilia Murphy