'I'm really happy': Cochrane girl looking to connect the world through language program

Milla White, a 12-year-old from Cochrane, has created an educational program to teach children across the globe different languages.

Kid-To-Kid Education currently has about 50 students enrolled from countries such as Russia, Belarus, Thailand and Turkey.

“Kid to Kid Education is a project really for kids all over the world where they can practice foreign languages with native speakers and share their skills,” said White.

Students fill out a form and are matched with a teacher for a fee. The unique part about the education program is the teachers are children who speak the language the student wants to learn.

The matchmaking is also done based on the teacher's and students interests.

"Kids like being happy and like laughing and like having real connections," said White.

"Here, at Kid-To-Kid, I'm really happy to see kids that are actually having fun and liking to learn new stuff."

Kid-To-Kid currently offers three languages: English, French and Spanish.

Anya Borisova, who is from Western Russia, was first connected through the program with a child to learn English.

Now, she is helping out herself by teaching English to beginners with the program.

"So I learned English there (so) I can speak more English. So it's really good practice," she said.

"I think it's amazing to teach something because it's a really good experience."

White came up with the idea after hearing about the language barrier her mother Dasha and father Vladimir encountered immigrating to Vancouver from Russia in 2009.

"They couldn't even order food at the restaurant. I don't want kids to struggle with the same problem," said White. "So they don't have trouble when they're like immigrating or traveling."

Her parents say they have a whole lot to be proud of with their daughter's willingness to help others avoid the hardship they faced.

"When we said this to our daughter, she was like, 'why can't you even order food?' said Dasha.

"This is what people who immigrate to different countries – this is what they experience."

White's students range in age from three to 15 years old, but now the program has attracted the attention of many adults who are wanting to learn.

"You're never judged when you're studying from a child, you just feel more comfortable," said Dasha.

"That was the concept."

The sky may be the limit for White, but her vision is to break down language barriers across the world.

"Our goal is to make it a global project, so we can share all languages in the world," she said.

For people interested in learning a new language through Kid-To-Kid, the website can be found here.

The program is also running a GoFundMe campaign to help it grow faster.