As a Spanish tutor for the past four years, Andrea Barrientos has found fun and easy ways for her students to learn Spanish language. And, this past year, she also found a way to help students who face barriers to accessing cultural activity, such as language classes, by becoming a Creative Kids service provider. She is happy that such a “great opportunity for kids to develop their talents and explore their interests” exists.

Andrea says there are so many benefits to learning a new language. For her, learning a new language opens kids’ minds to a different culture and different ways of expressing their feelings, thoughts and emotions. She shares how two of her students wanted to learn Spanish so they could communicate with their familia from Guatemala.

“What a great honor it is for me to be able to bring a family together by teaching the language that I love,’ she says. “There is a quote that Charlemagne used to say: ‘To have another language is to possess a second soul.’ When kids learn a second language, they not only learn new words, they learn to see the world and think about it in a different way.”

When Andrea was contacted by a Creative Kids’ mom, who wanted her daughters to learn Spanish language, she was very happy to learn about the program and looked for ways to contribute to its mission.

“I started doing some research. I didn’t want to miss the chance to become a service provider (Spanish teacher) so I could help kids that wanted to learn the language,” she says. “So far, the experience has been great. The staff at Creative Kids have always been so helpful in explaining the process and have been a great liaison between the students’ families and myself.”

She goes on to add that she believes that kids should engage in activities outside school so that they can explore their interests and talents. She expresses her gratitude to Creative Kids for providing the opportunity for kids to nurture their creativity, which she says is an excellent contribution to Saskatchewan.

“Unfortunately, the cost of extra-curricular classes is something that not all families can afford and there are so many talented kids who are not able to engage in these types of activities,” says Andrea. “It is very important that all kids develop their creative minds in order to find creative solutions to future world problems. If people want a better world in the future, they should support programs such as Creative Kids.”