After a month of preparation, we are ready to launch our project in Hawaii! We connected with three local families and six students between the ages of eight to ten. After talking to the families, we learned that many did not have experience learning Chinese and interacting with the culture in the past. Because classes are held online both due to the physical distance between Hawaii and our teachers located in Los Angeles and China, we decided to have group classes for our students to be more comfortable learning and speaking a new language and culture. We have two main teachers for each class: one for class lectures, and one for leading group discussions on a different topic on culture each week. The other seven volunteers will sit in during the lesson, contribute to the group discussion, and individually assist our students if needed.

June 20th was an introductory class for both the parents and students. Students and volunteers introduced themselves to each other, and Miranda gave a brief presentation introducing Cross Cultures. We then helped the families set up their account to access their courses. The class ran longer than expected, but everyone seemed excited to begin!