There are days when Tammy Barberena has to rely on her middle school-aged son to understand how he’s doing in school. 

Barberena, who speaks Spanish, struggles to communicate with teachers and staff at Summit School District, where resources for bilingual interpretation and translation are limited. During parent-teacher conferences, she’s had to turn to her son, who is still learning English, to interpret conversations. When asking for information at the front desk, Barberena’s best tool is Google Translate. 

“I saw the need at the schools to communicate with the teachers, with the principals, with the administrative personnel,” said Barberena, speaking through an interpreter. “But not only is it a need for parents. It’s also a need for people who live and work here in Summit County.”

Now, Barberena is helping meet that need by launching a free English class for Spanish speakers in partnership with Mountain Dreamers, an immigrant-advocacy nonprofit. The program, which held its first class on Tuesday, July 2 at the 10 Mile Music Hall in Frisco, seeks to equip residents with English language skills that can better help them navigate work, school and daily life. 

U.S. Census data from 2023 shows that 17% of Summit County’s population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, though community leaders often say that number is an undercount. At the school district, for example, Hispanic students make up roughly 40% of the student body.

“We at Mountain Dreamers have been advocating for language assistance in different sectors” from schools to housing, said Mountain Dreamers staffer Javier Pineda. “This program resembles our philosophy of, ‘When we have a problem we try to be part of the solution.'”

Barberena said the class is something she’s wanted to see happen for over a year, but it wasn’t until late this spring that the pieces began to fall into place. That included recruiting volunteers with English-Spanish language backgrounds and securing a space from 10 Mile Music Hall owner Todd Altschuler. 

Altschuler, who offered his venue to the group free of charge, said he felt driven to help after becoming aware of the communication challenges facing Spanish-speaking parents.

“It was very apparent that there is this huge, huge issue in this community,” Altschuler said. “As long as (Barberena and Mountain Dreamers) are providing this service, I’m happy to do my part.

The program has hosted two classes this month, each seeing around 30 participants. So far, Barberena has recruited four volunteer instructors, including her nephew, John Fioravanti, who said he’s been a multilingual-learner for most of his life. 

With a learning structure and curriculum that’s still a work in progress, Fioravanti said his current focus has been on teaching basic greetings and phrases and expects the classes to change and grow depending on the needs of the community. Many of Tuesday’s attendees came to learn English for work-related reasons, for example, and some future lessons could delve into industry-specific vocabulary, Fioravanti said. 

“To me, there’s two issues. One is an issue of skill and knowledge which takes time and dedication,” he said. “The other is more personal confidence. And honestly, I think we can have an impact on the knowledge front but I would say we might even have more of an impact on having people feel more confident.”

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Having a safe, friendly space for Spanish speakers to hone bilingual skills is critical for the program to be successful, said volunteer instructor Risa Holmes, who formerly taught English as a Second Language classes in Denver and Michigan.

“I think there’s a big fear to speak English, which is very understandable,” said Holmes, a current instructor at the Gold Run Nordic Center and volunteer for the Family & Intercultural Resource Center. “I think there’s a real need for (these classes) and I think it’s wonderful what Mountain Dreamers is doing.” 

Holmes said the program is a grassroots effort and will be dependent on continuous community support, whether it be finding a sponsor for books and other instructional materials or taking on new volunteers. 

“We’re really just figuring it out. But it’s really, really exciting,” Holmes said. “To see this turnout is huge and I think it’s only going to go up.” 

As the program continues, Fioravanti hopes the group can nurture a supportive environment that, ultimately, encourages residents to pursue learning even outside of class. 

“If you go to a foreign country and you don’t speak the language it’s really easy to get insulated, maybe even feel alone,” Fioravanti said. “I would say that the value (in this class) is that we’re bringing people together … they’re not alone in learning English.”

Classes will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday at the 10 Mile Music Hall, 710 Main St., Frisco. Those interested in volunteering can contact Mountain Dreamers staffer Yerania Reynoso at yerania@mountaindreamers.org.