Final Grant Proposal

Easy Esperanto Instructional Services520 West Main Street

Rocakway, NJ 07866

June 14, 2012

US Department of Education Institute of Educational Services400 Maryland Ave, SWWashington, DC 20202

Dear Sir/Madam:

I am writing to request a grant to implement a solution to the problem of a lack of secondary language education in the US.

Studies have shown that the large majority of people in America only speak the English language at home. This represents a lack of secondary language education, in a time when the world is becoming more globalized, and American industry and politics do not depend only on America itself anymore. It is essential for the American people to be able to communicate with others from around the world, for commerce and for the healthy exchange of ideas, but the present situation does not allow for this exchange.

The Easy Esperanto organization hopes to solve this problem by teaching Esperanto to the American people. Esperanto is a language developed specifically for use between people who do not share a native language. As such, it can be understood by all people around the world, and it does not try to replace a person’s first language. Thus, Esperanto allows people to retain their national pride and cultural heritage, while still communicate with those who are not of the same origins, and comprehend and accept those different cultures. Esperanto is a language that unites human beings, regardless of origin, and helps those beings benefit from each other’s ideas and abilities.

Easy Esperanto plans to educate the public in two ways:

Establish programs to teach participants the basic rules of Esperanto and allow those participants to be able to speak Esperanto fluently enough for most communication. Twenty programs will be established in twenty major urban centers and local suburban centers. Each program will run for two months, and there will be six programs a year in each location, for two years.

Create a website to provide rudimentary knowledge about Esperanto rules and the language itself, and raise awareness of the cultural understanding that Esperanto promotes.

Our program instructors are experts in the Esperanto language. They can speak, read, and write at a highly proficient level. Each instructor’s only goal is to make sure that every student finishes the program with a thorough knowledge of Esperanto.

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It is our hope that the United States Department of Education’s Institute of Educational Sciences department will consider a grant of $500,000 to provide the Easy Esperanto organization the funds it needs to initiate its project. With your generous partnership, this organization will be able to solve one of America’s most pressing problems in a simple yet efficient way, and help the American people adjust to a changing world.

Sincerely,

Saahil Madge

The Need for Secondary Language Education

As technologies have become more advanced, all aspects of human life have become

more globalized. Companies must appeal to consumers from all areas of the globe, while the

politics of one nation often involve issues of international scope. Communication between all

parties is essential for success in any endeavor.

However, the large majority of Americans cannot speak any languages other than

English. Barely 16% of Americans speak a language other than English at home, and most of the

remaining 84% are not fluent in any other language (“Language Use in the United States,”

2010). While some people from around the world can hold a conversation in English, most are

more comfortable speaking other languages. America has been a world leader for the past

century, but as Americans lose their ability to communicate with the other people of the world,

the nation may lose this position.

Another problem that results from a lack of communication is an inability to understand

cultural differences. People who cannot exchange ideas effectively may unintentionally do or say

something offensive, or may just fail to understand others’ perspectives. As a result, Americans

who only know English often cannot grasp how foreigners approach certain problems.

Easy Esperanto Instructional Services

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An effective secondary language program would eliminate both lack of communication

and lack of cultural understanding. If Americans are able to communicate comfortably with

others in their own native languages, they will be able to exchange ideas properly and both

parties can benefit from the trade and political relations that stem from the success. In today’s

globalized world, isolation is not a choice. Americans must embrace the path of multilingualism

if they wish to remain leaders and models for other nations.

What is Esperanto and how can it Help?

Esperanto is a special auxiliary language developed by Dr. L. L. Zamenhof. Dr.

Zamenhof published the first book on this language in 1887, and since then the language has

become quite popular as a secondary language for several reasons. Esperanto is a perfect

secondary language because it was developed for that specific goal. Dr. Zamenhof designed the

language so that it would be politically neutral and unbiased, and also simple to learn

(“Esperanto is…,” n.d.)

The main reason that Esperanto should be used as a secondary language is because it

does not try to compete with other languages for preference. A bilingual person who speaks both

English and Spanish may find it difficult to know when to use which language. On the other

hand, a person knowing English and Esperanto will have no such problem, because Esperanto is

designed such that it is only necessary for communication between people who do not share the

same native language. That is, Esperanto is a universal language of communication that does not

try to replace a person’s native language. This quality is a major advantage over other traditional

secondary languages, because Esperanto has a clear role: it is to be used only for communication

between people of different origins. It will not interfere with a person’s native language, and thus

will not interfere with a person’s culture. Esperanto allows people to still identify with their


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nationality and with their language, while providing a tool to exchange ideas between people

from different areas. This promotes a global understanding and tolerance while maintaining

national pride.

Esperanto is also advantageous because it is much easier to learn than are other

languages. It takes about ¼ the time to learn Esperanto as it does to learn a nation’s official

language (“Esperanto is…, n.d.). Each letter has only one sound. Esperanto is especially

advantageous for Americans because the syntax is similar to English syntax. This means that

Americans will be able to understand how words are put together to form sentences.

Traditionally, grammar tends to be much harder to understand and apply than vocabulary, but in

the case of Esperanto, Americans need not worry. They will learn the language without any

difficulty.

Esperanto is the best secondary language for Americans to learn, as it answers all of the

needs of a secondary language education. It is both easy to learn and use, and promotes

understanding of cultural differences. Esperanto will help lead America to a future of

communication and peace.

Project Description: Local Education and Awareness

The Easy Esperanto organization has two main goals for the initial project:

First, it hopes to create short programs to teach the basics of Esperanto. These programs

will have a local focus, and will be implemented in select urban and suburban areas.

Next, it hopes to create a website to spread the importance of Esperanto education. This

website will offer the basic rules of Esperanto.

The initial phase of the project will focus on these small goals as a starting-off point for the

organization. If these goals are met, Easy Esperanto can initiate the next stages of the project.


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Local Programs:

Easy Esperanto is based in New Jersey, and as such the local programs will be conducted

in the nearby urban centers of New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

Additionally, our staff will implement these programs in their town recreational and educational

centers. In all cases, the courses will be taught by the staff, all members of which are fluent in

Esperanto.

The programs will run twice a week for two months. The programs will be started in the

summer of 2013, and will run six sessions a year, for at least two years. At the end of these

programs, the organization will evaluate their success to see if the next phases of the project

should be started.

People interested in participating in the programs will be able to sign up through either

the Easy Esperanto organization or the recreational center which is sponsoring the program. A

small text outlining basic rules will be provided. These programs will emphasize the basic

grammar and vocabulary of Esperanto, and will focus on important phrases that will allow

participants to easily communicate if they were to go to another country. The program will cost a

small fee in order to pay for the texts and the instructor’s wages. At the end of each program,

participants will be given a small test designed to evaluate their progress. The tests are designed

to assess each participant’s knowledge of basic grammar and vocabulary, but focus on essential

communication in Esperanto.

The main objective for this part of the project is to have 80 percent of participants score

80 percent or higher on the end-of-program test. This would indicate that the large majority of

participants in the programs are fluent enough in Esperanto to use it at a functional level.


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Website:

Easy Esperanto will also create a website to raise awareness of the Esperanto cause. This

will be a simple website. It will have a section discussing the origins of Esperanto and its

purpose as a secondary language. It will also have a section about basic grammar and vocabulary

of Esperanto. People interested in signing up for a class can also find one near their area, and

sign up for that class, on the website.

The major purpose of the website is to promote the cultural understanding that Esperanto

hopes to foster. The website will emphasize that Esperanto, because it is a secondary language,

allows its users to keep their national and cultural pride, but at the same time appreciate the

cultures of others. Those who browse the website will leave knowing that Esperanto is a

universal language, and as such helps to create unity among the people of the world.

The main objective for this part of the project is to create a functional website that

contains all the information listed above (basic rules of Esperanto, origins of Esperanto, and most

importantly Esperanto’s purpose in global unity) and that receives at least ten thousand visits a

month. This number would indicate that people in America are taking an active interest in the

Esperanto language.

Staffing/Administration:

The Easy Esperanto organization has an overall management team, but the organization’s

success depends on the volunteers and paid staff that will teach the programs. Management and

trained staff will be paid.

The entire program revolves around the volunteers and paid staff, as these are the people

who will teach the Esperanto programs, so Easy Esperanto plans to ensure that all teachers are

fully qualified in Esperanto. In order to become certified program teachers, members must score


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a 70 percent or higher on the Esperanto Advanced proficiency exam. This exam involves

“comprehension, translation section…and a 500 word essay.” Thus, a person cannot pass this test

without truly being fluent in all aspects of the Esperanto language. Through this screening

process, Easy Esperanto ensures that all staff members completely understand Esperanto, and

that participants in the programs are getting high quality Esperanto education.

The management team is responsible for supervision of the local programs, as well as all

other tasks. These include creating the website, creating the budget, creating reports, managing

finances, and evaluating potential staff members.

If an instructor chooses not to receive payment for his/her services, that person is a

volunteer. Non-volunteer staff will receive a salary for each two month session that the instructor

teaches. This salary is calculated as a base salary, plus a fixed amount per student in the program.

The management officials also receive a salary.

Evaluation:

The local programs will be evaluated on two equally weighted criteria: participant

success and participant feedback.

The “participant success” area looks at how well participants score on the end-of-

program exam. Their scores reflect how much they have learned of the Esperanto language, and

thus reflect how well the instructor has made information available and taught that information.

As stated above, Easy Esperanto aims to have 80 percent of participants score 80 percent or

higher on the exam, as such a score clearly indicates mastery of basic Esperanto, and thus a

successful program.

The “participant feedback” area refers to a survey that all participants will take upon

completion of the program. This survey will ask the participants to reflect on the program, and


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give their thoughts on the instructors and on the Esperanto language in general. This will allow

the organization to improve the programs based on the feedback, and make the programs more

user-friendly.

The website will be evaluated based on user feedback. People who visit the web site will

be asked to take a survey which will ask them whether the web site was helpful. The

management team will then follow user suggestions to improve the website.

Easy Esperanto will be able to use this feedback to improve the programs and the

website, and make the first stage of the project successful.

Sustainability:

The Easy Esperanto organization hopes to receive about $2 million annually. About three

quarters of this money will be raised with profits from the local programs. The remainder will be

raised from fundraising activities, including:

Fundraising events, such as can shakes at local department stores, and a Baseball Outing

in partnership with the New York Yankees baseball team.

Mail-order catalogs and door-to-door food sales.

Local grants in support of general affairs and individual projects.

Once the local programs become popular, more people will sign up, and the capital available for

Easy Esperanto to use will thus increase. After the initial phase has gone well, the organization’s

sources of income will greatly increase, and the organization will be able to sustain itself based

on the success of its programs.


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Budget

Staff

Organization Director 100% Salary $100,000.00

Technical Director 100% Direct Service $80,000.00

Director of Volunteer Services 75% Direct Service $60,000.00

Tutors (Part-time) $1000/ session $240,000.00

Total: Staff $480,000.00

Other Than Personnel Services

Training for Tutors $2,000.00

Program Textbooks $10,000.00

Web Site Maintenance $1,000.00

Fliers $5,000.00

Events $10,000.00

Total: Other Than Personnel Services $28,000.00

Total Expenses $508,000.00

The Organization Director, Technical Director, and Director of Volunteer Services

comprise the management team. The tutors are the paid staff members that teach the programs.

The majority of expenses come from staff payments, and a large portion of the remainder is from

our marketing campaign to raise awareness of our organization and of the Esperanto language in

general.


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Organizational Information

Easy Esperanto was founded in May 2012 to educate the American population about the

Esperanto language and its amazing benefits as a secondary language. People who are able to

learn and use Esperanto gain a valuable skill that puts them ahead of their competitors

commercially, but closer to others culturally. Esperanto users can speak with anyone, anywhere,

regardless of culture or origin.

The organization’s mission is to help the American public become better-adjusted to a

new, globalized society by teaching the simple, universal language of Esperanto. We provide

tools and courses so that Americans can easily communicate with other people, regardless of

nationality. Easy Esperanto ensures that Americans understand cultural differences and become

confident global leaders who work to achieve America’s goals while simultaneously fostering

international unity.

Easy Esperanto’s staff includes three overall managers, and about 40 part-time employees

to serve as instructors in our 20 programs. Additionally, there are about 15 volunteers who agree

to teach the programs or help with marketing for no pay. All staff and volunteers are

knowledgeable in general communication skills, and understand that the student is the most

important. It is the instructor’s job in our programs to ensure that the student learns as much as

possible.

Easy Esperanto maintains a partnership with the New York Yankees baseball team. This

partnership helps raise funds for the organization, and allows our participants to have an

enjoyable time. These events help participants recognize the importance of cooperation, and how

understanding and tolerance of others leads to universal prosperity.


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Conclusion

The Easy Esperanto organization is tackling one of America’s most important problems

and helping the American people prepare for the newer, more globalized era. The support of the

US Dept. of Education would help the organization help the American people. Easy Esperanto’s

programs need only an initial boost, but once the organization has spread information and raised

awareness of the importance of Esperanto education, it will be able to sustain its work.

Upon success of the first two years of local programs in the select centers, Easy

Esperanto can begin to implement similar programs in other areas of America, and even start

creating online courses for those who are unable to attend any local programs. This way,

Esperanto education becomes available nationally, and America will be better prepared to face

the future.


Final Grant Proposal

Documents

esperanto language

esperanto rules

teaching esperanto

easy esperanto organization

easy esperanto plans

basic rules of esperanto

english language

native language