<p>I received this from a list I belong to and thought it might be of interest to some members or their college age children:</p>
<p>Madrid, Spain – For the last three years, over 3,000 people have
participated in the unique English language immersion program known as
Englishtown. Two venues, a 16th century abandoned village and a plush
country-style hotel, play host to a non-stop eight-day intensive
conversation program. English native speakers from all over the world
come as volunteers to learn about Spaniards and their culture in
return for their board and lodging while the Spaniards seek to improve
their fluency in the quickest, most intensive manner possible on
earth. The participants, both English-speakers and Spaniards, exchange
culture, conversation, knowledge and friendship.</p>
<p>Englishtown was the brainchild of Richard Vaughan, a business student
from Texas who came to Spain to teach English in the 70’s. “After a
quarter-century of language training and experience, I realized no
matter how many times a person is drilled on irregular verbs, the only
way to truly understand a language is to actively practice it,” says
Richard. </p>
<p>This led to the creation of Englishtown - eight-day immersion programs
which include a cast of 20 Spaniards, 20 English-speakers from all
over the world, a Master of Ceremonies to provide entertainment and a
Program Director to enforce the only rule: No Spanish Allowed. All
this for 15 hours a day, eight days and no stopping except for your
daily siesta. Throw in a mix of activities such as conversations,
scenic walks, games, meals and Spanish music and dancing, and
somewhere in between the Spaniards find themselves blabbing away in
English without having to stop, think and translate.</p>
<p>The idea was so innovative that it won the “Best Awards 2003” prize in
Spain and has been featured on dozens of message boards that buzz
about a deal almost “too good to be true”, travel guides, major
publications and TV stations - CNN, Irish Times and Chicago Tribune to
name a few. The lure is easy - English-speakers chat, play, walk, dine
and wine with Spaniards with the beautiful backdrop of the Spanish
countryside while Vaughan picks up the tab. Multinational clients such
as Microsoft, Vodafone, Deloitte and Accenture send scores of
executives to Englishtown finding it to be the ideal solution to their
problem - a rapid, intense way to get their top directors speaking
English. </p>
<p>Over the years, Englishtown has attracted volunteers from all walks of
life: concert pianists, writers, CEO’s, social workers, backpackers,
geologists, wandering musicians and students from a wide range of ages
from 18 to 80 that coin it as having been one of the best, most
enriching experiences of their lives. </p>
<p>Please email Nicole Escario at
<a href="mailto:nescario@vausys.com">nescario@vausys.com</a></p>