ABOUT TIME SPENT

The Problem:

For immigrants and refugees with a low-English proficiency level, filling out forms, paying bills, applying for jobs and accessing resources are all extremely difficult. Many immigrants and refugees arrive in the U.S. without a network of friends and family, and thus struggle to make connections and are frequently isolated and lonely. This issue is especially aggravated those who have not found a job yet, are unable to work or are stay at home parents as their interactions with the outside world is limited. 

Our Solution:

This is where Time Spent comes in. We provide an online space in which, low-English proficiency immigrants and refugees can meet volunteers to practice English conversation, receive help with understanding paper forms, and ask questions they have about American culture and customs. We provide a background check for all potential mentors and mentees and then pair committed volunteers with immigrants and refugees with the most need. We provide both parties with guidance and resources so that volunteers are equipped to help and mentees feel supported and empowered. In short, we help immigrants and refugees communicate in English, adjust to living in the US, and build a supportive network.

Our Team:

Time Spent’s three co-founders and four members of the coding team met at Brown University. We each have a personal story of our family’s immigration history and are deeply committed towards minimizing the struggles of this process. With experience in sociology, language learning, software engineering, business, we are an ambitious team that has all the right tools to develop and expand this venture. This summer, we are participating in Breakthrough Lab, Brown’s premier summer accelerator program. Our women and minority lead team has also pitched to Women Entrepreneurs at Brown and received an Explore Grant from the Nelson Center at Brown.