Written by Sarah Guimond
Date: July 17, 2026
Learning Without Limits
When people ask me what Revolution Languages is, I usually tell them it's much more than an English program. At its heart, Revolution Languages is built on the belief that every child deserves access to meaningful language learning, regardless of where they live or what their family's financial situation looks like.
That belief comes from our own experiences.
My fiancé and co-founder, Benjamin, and I are both second language learners. Before starting Revolution Languages, we spent two years teaching English in China, where we saw firsthand how one teacher, through technology, could reach hundreds of students at once. It completely changed the way we thought about education.
When the pandemic unexpectedly brought us back to Peru, we started asking ourselves a simple question:
Why is quality language learning still something that is mostly accessible to people who can afford it?
As we continued teaching in different countries and educational settings, we kept seeing the same pattern. Students from families with financial resources consistently had access to engaging, high-quality language learning, while so many others did not.
At the same time, I reflected on my own journey as a language learner. As someone who is neurodivergent, I never connected with the traditional way languages were taught. Later, as an adopted person reconnecting with my first language, I also experienced how vulnerable language learning can feel when language carries pieces of your identity.
Those experiences shaped the kind of teacher I wanted to become.
Building a Different Kind of Language Program
Benjamin and I wanted to create something different. We wanted language learning to be fun, interactive, and memorable. We wanted children to laugh, participate, take risks, and discover that making mistakes is simply part of learning. We also wanted to combine our love of travel with education, introducing students to cultures around the world while they learned English. We weren't just teaching a language. We wanted to spark curiosity, build confidence, and help children see that the world is much bigger than their own backyard.
That vision became our World Tour Program.
Staying True to Our Mission
In our early years, we partnered with the Municipality of Lima during the pandemic to offer free virtual programs for children across Peru. Those classes remain some of my favorite memories because we watched children from different regions, communities, and backgrounds log into the same virtual classroom. It reminded us that when barriers are removed, children everywhere are eager to learn.
The challenge was sustainability.
Like many small organizations, we eventually shifted toward private classes because we needed to support ourselves. But over time, I realized we were slowly becoming the very problem we had originally set out to solve. The learners we most wanted to reach were still being left behind.
Finding the Right Partner
We knew our one-to-many model worked. We knew children were engaged, curious, and leaving with greater confidence. What we hadn't figured out yet was how to build a sustainable organization around it without losing sight of why we started.
That's when we found CILC.
After joining the Children's Media Association, another content provider encouraged us to connect with CILC. Looking back, it was one of the best recommendations we've ever received.
Through our partnership with CILC, we've collaborated through programs such as FieldED Live, Connected North, the New Americans grant, and monthly virtual learning events with schools across North America. Along the way, we've partnered with 17 schools and organizations and reached approximately 775 learners.
More importantly, CILC has allowed us to stay true to our mission by connecting us with schools and organizations that are just as passionate about expanding educational access as we are. Those partnerships have also given us the opportunity to bring our teaching philosophy to learners in many different settings.
Creating Moments That Matter
One of my favorite moments happens during what we call our "Up in the Air" segment. Once our virtual airplane takes off, we introduce students to the country they're about to explore through music, video, and culture. The classroom suddenly becomes quiet as curiosity takes over. Watching students discover just how big the world is reminds me that language learning is about far more than vocabulary. It's about opening doors.
Another favorite moment is watching students volunteer to answer questions live. Seeing a child take a chance, answer in English, and celebrate when they get it right never gets old. Those moments remind me that language learning isn't simply about speaking another language. It's about believing in yourself enough to try.
We've seen that philosophy come to life in many different settings. Through Connected North, a CILC member, we've led 27 live virtual sessions with students in Arctic Bay, Nunavut, where cultural learning became a true exchange.
Through the New Americans Grant awarded to the South Central Service Cooperative (SCSC), in partnership with CILC, a program of SCSC, we've worked with adults preparing to enter the healthcare workforce, creating spaces where learners feel comfortable speaking, making mistakes, and growing together. Whether we're teaching children or adults, we believe meaningful learning begins when people feel safe enough to participate.
Looking Ahead
As we look toward the future, our mission hasn't changed.
We want to continue partnering with organizations that believe every learner deserves access to engaging, high-quality education. We hope to keep encouraging educators to think differently about language learning by showing that it can be interactive, culturally rich, joyful, and designed to meet learners where they are.
Our dream is to build something bigger than ourselves by empowering more educators to teach the Revolution Languages curriculum and bring these experiences to communities around the world.
At the end of the day, we don't just hope students remember a few new English words. We hope they leave believing they're capable of learning something that once felt impossible.
We're incredibly grateful to CILC for believing in our mission and helping us bring these experiences to learners who may never have had access to them otherwise. We can't wait to continue growing together and reaching even more students in the years ahead.