They were recent immigrants. Now, they’ve won an award for supporting other immigrants.

Immigrating to the U.S. wasn’t easy for Karen Cervera.

Seven years ago, Cervera came to the United States from Mexico on a dependent visa with her husband. But the inability to work, in addition to navigating life in a new country, spiraled her into a depression. It wasn’t until Cervera got involved with the Welcoming Center’s Immigrant Leadership Institute five years ago that she was able to climb out of that depression, with her new mission: to help immigrants navigate the English language barrier.

In 2020, Cervera and Yushan Chou cofounded Let’s Talk Philly!, a volunteer-led organization that creates a safe space for people to practice their spoken English. And in November, Let’s Talk Philly! was a recipient of the city’s Welcoming Awards for their contributions to immigrant education.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia is now officially a ‘Certified Welcoming’ city. Here’s what it means for immigrant communities.

“We hope that this is just a step forward to more collaboration, more communities working together to achieve the goal we all have of immigration integration, creating a sense of belonging and creating leaders in the community,” Cervera said.

The first thing Cervera and Chou tell participants of Let’s Talk Philly! is to stop apologizing for their English.

Often, as people go around a virtual circle to introduce themselves during the free twice-weekly Zoom conversations, they apologize that their English isn’t good. But Cervera and Chou quickly noticed that people were underestimating their English skills, whether it be because of the level of fluency or because of their accent. That self-consciousness was holding participants back; so Cervera and Chou instated the practice of not apologizing.

“An accent, we feel, is part of our identity. I know I have an accent, and maybe I will never get rid of it, and that’s OK — that’s part of who I am,” Cervera said. “That’s the practice we try to foster in Let’s Talk Philly!: This is who you are, so embrace it and be proud of it.”

“We celebrate each other’s differences and cultures.”

Once participants accept and embrace their accents, Cervera said, proficiency improves. But it’s not just about embracing their accents — it’s about embracing where they come from.

Many participants tell Cervera and Chou that they feel the need to abandon their cultures and assimilate to be accepted in the U.S.

“In Let’s Talk Philly!, we do the opposite,” Cervera said. “We celebrate each other’s differences and cultures, and we highlight them and the efforts for people to embrace who they are and be proud to show it.”

When Chen Lo first came to the U.S. from Taiwan a year and a half ago, she was intimidated.

Like Cervera, Lo came on a dependent visa with her husband. She was overwhelmed by how quickly people spoke English, and wondered whether she would be stuck as a housewife forever. Without any friends, the loneliness piled on.

“It wasn’t until I participated in Let’s Talk Philly! conversation circles that the situation had changed,” Lo said.

“It helped me get more confidence in myself for the future.”

She would diligently prepare for each of the conversation circles, often practicing her slides with her husband many times beforehand. And after participating in the conversation circles for a year, Lo was asked whether she’d want to become a facilitator of the conversations.

“After those experiences, it helped me get more confidence in myself for the future,” Lo said.

That’s precisely Cervera and Chou’s goal: to create a greater sense of belonging among participants by fostering leadership skills.

Chou found herself in tears while facilitating a conversation circle.

One of the participants shared that she was undocumented, and told the group about her experience crossing the border at the age of 17, not knowing whether she would survive.

“This kind of story always make me feel like we are family,” Chou said. “To create a safe space really means to have the space where everyone feels comfortable sharing themselves.”

Another participant, Chou said, told her that having access to the conversation circles during the pandemic lockdown was so important to him. He felt less isolated, and he felt like he had extended family.

» READ MORE: What Philly immigrants want from the city’s next mayor

For Chou and Cervera, the conversation circles aren’t just about building English skills — that’s something people can easily get online these days. They’re about creating a safe space for people to excel in those skills, integrate into the U.S., and combat the often lonely and isolating experience of immigration.

“We want everyone to think, ‘We are not alone because we are here. We have friends and family as well,’” Chou said.