This project has been conducted by the 2022 PhD cohort, consisting of Merve Özçelik, Julian Canjura, Xiaozheng Dai, Pedro Augusto de Lima Bastos, and Mfundo Jabulani Msimango. In 2022, they received a $500 grant from the Graduate Alliance for Diversity and Inclusion (GADI) at Penn State for this year-long initiative. The grant facilitated the creation of a five-video series that promotes linguistic diversity, equity, and justice, offering practical communication strategies. The series focuses on an often-overlooked aspect of multilingual communication: the role of so-called ‘native speakers.’ By equipping native speakers with these strategies, the project not only highlights their part in successful communication but also aims to empower ‘non-native’ speakers or those speaking less dominant English varieties.

The project's videos can be viewed on the APLNG Research Projects page: https://aplng.la.psu.edu/research/projects/#meetinghalfway