CLUB SPOTLIGHT: Make a Global Impact, even at Hough with ENGin Club

October 12th, 2024 - Zaida Clark (11)

When school starts up again and the leaves start falling, clubs start to pick up. Students are always scrambling around Club Rush to join any club that holds interest. However, it is impossible to truly see every club, as someone is always blocking a trifold or the ever-suffocating thirty-minute lunch period limiting what you can see. ENGin Club, new to Hough this year, is getting the first Club Spotlight. Diving into the leadership, its mission, and what they plan to do, all to help create a broader picture of each Hough club. 

ENGin Club is based on the ENGin Program. Through this non-profit, volunteers help teach Ukrainians English. It was founded and headed by me, Zaida Clark (11th grader). The other officer position is an Outreach Coordinator, held by Eve Langston (11th grader). Both are already active ENGin volunteers and wanted to make a difference in the community, beyond Hough. Langston states, “ENGin has opened my eyes on the power (or capacity) in which I hold to help others,” showing that ENGin has allowed her to have a strong impact beyond the walls of Hough.

ENGin Club is an opportunity to be a spokesperson/volunteer for the ENGin Program.  Within this club, participants get trained and sign up online to help fulfill the program's goal. During an hour-long weekly Zoom call, club members will teach basic English to whomever their student is. The program provides pre-made lesson plans and plenty of resources beyond, as well. In club meetings, participants are trained on resources to use, how to correct their students, and how to use the plentiful resources provided to them. ENGin club plans to hold fundraisers for the organization, to try to recruit new members (volunteers and students), and to help Hough go global. 

The impact the ENGin club can have will be vast. Students who partake will not only help others but also, in a sense, be helping themselves. They will impact the students they take on by providing them with an important skill, English. Whereas the volunteers/club members will be able to learn about the students, Ukraine, and in some cases, the war. Personally, partaking as a volunteer in this organization has helped me in many ways. I have loved connecting with my student and learning about her culture and experience. It helped expand my worldview in ways I hadn’t imagined. Russia and Ukraine have been involved in a war since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. While this had been something I was aware of, hearing my 12-year-old student recount some of her experiences within this war completely changed my perception, personalizing it. 

ENGin club plans to leave its mark and not just on Hough. This club will help Hough students grow and change while doing the same for others, namely the Ukrainian students, creating a strong learning environment. This program changes lives, attempting to create a mutually beneficial cross-cultural connection alongside the nearly 50,000 participants.