#1 Commitment check. 
 
Application to take SPEAK to your city. 

   

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This is the start of your journey towards impact. 

 
We’re really excited you’ve decided to start your application process to become a 
SPEAK founder!  
  
SPEAK founders play a key role in making their cities a place where everyone feels at home by connecting 
locals and newcomers through 2 main activities: community-led language groups and cultural exchange 
events. This work is rewarding but also challenging so we’ve designed this toolkit to help you better 
understand what the typical workflow required to start and grow a SPEAK chapter is, and how to best set up 
your team for success.   

 
 

The secret of successful SPEAK founders. 

 
SPEAK founders who manage vibrant SPEAK chapters meet all the criteria below. Before you commit to 
starting a SPEAK chapter it is important to reflect whether this is the right time for you to become a SPEAK 
founder. 
  
Essential: 
● Availability to commit at least 20 hours a week to SPEAK. 
● Availability to hold weekly 1-hour meetings with the SPEAK team. 
● Ability to communicate in English (all interactions with the SPEAK team and all the available 
materials are in English).
 
Highly recommended: 
● Having a team of 2-4 people before starting a SPEAK chapter. 
 
Recommended: 
● Setting up a legal entity to manage your SPEAK chapter (this is not required before starting a 
SPEAK chapter, but will need to do it early on).
   

 
 

The day-to-day of a SPEAK founder. 

 
Starting and managing a SPEAK chapter is a lot like working at a startup – it is fast paced and requires 
flexibility and resilience. While not exhaustive, the list below gives you an idea of the main tasks you would 
perform as a SPEAK founder. 
  
Managing partnerships. 
SPEAK chapters rely on local partners that provide spaces for cultural exchange events and language 
groups. This role requires someone who can approach anyone and get them aboard – they will research 
potential partners in your city who share our passion for diversity and set up meetings to establish 
partnerships. 
 
Marketing. 
Building a local community means getting the word out about SPEAK. This role requires someone who can 
craft engaging narratives about SPEAK and the positive impact your SPEAK chapter is creating locally and 
share them both online and offline. 
 
Managing cultural exchange events. 
Successful SPEAK chapters get the community together at least twice a month through cultural exchange 
events. This person should be a natural at getting people together and making sure they feel welcome and at 
empowering community members to organize their own events in your SPEAK chapter.  
 
Managing language groups. 
SPEAK chapters have community-led language groups going all year round. This role requires someone who 
can mobilize community members to share their language and culture with others and give them ongoing 
support during their experience.   

 
 

Getting the team together. 

 
Starting a SPEAK chapter as a team greatly increases its probability of success as you can play to the 
strengths of each team member, take advantage of the diversity of your team and have team members to 
rely on during this journey. We recommend you try getting together a team of 2-4 people before starting a 
SPEAK chapter, and going through this list of questions with them before proceeding with the application 
process: 
 
● What is the motivation of each person and what do they hope to learn by being part of a SPEAK 
chapter? 
● How many hours can each person commit to SPEAK on a weekly basis? 
● What are the different work styles of each person? What kind of environment do you need to set up 
so each team member feels comfortable? 
● Which tasks does each person enjoy the most? How are you going to divide the workflow from the 
previous page among the team? 
● How are you going to work together? How often will you meet as a team and what work and 
communication tools will you use?   

 
 

Working with the SPEAK team. 

 
Your first weeks as a SPEAK founder. 
During your first weeks as a SPEAK founder you will take part in an onboarding training consisting in a 
combination of videos, documents, tools and challenges to help you master all the information you need to 
manage your SPEAK chapter.  
 
Ongoing support. 
You will have a dedicated point of contact within the SPEAK team who will meet with you to make sure you 
have everything you need to be successful, as well as access to SPEAK’s management platform where you 
will see the activity in your SPEAK chapter in real time and have access to tools to create and manage your 
language groups and cultural exchange events.

 
 

What’s next? 
 
Ready to move forward with your application to become a SPEAK founder? Great! The next step consists in 
organizing a language exchange in your city. Organizing a language exchange helps future SPEAK founders 
get a feeling for the time and energy involved in building a strong local community. It's also a chance for you 
to see if there's excitement around the process and the development of a SPEAK chapter. ​Check this toolkit 
to get started.