Chrishauna Curry | Echo
Nathanael Warren ('13) will be opening his coffee shop soon in Basque, Spain.
Nathanael Warren graduated as a biblical studies major. Not only is the Meraki Cafe an upcoming coffee shop, but it will also be a place where the Basque people are taught English.
Nathanael Warren and his wife, Courtney Warren, are both convinced that teaching English and talking about Christianity is their place of ministry. They wanted to specifically minister to the Basque community through the idea of having an English school combined with a coffee shop.
"Our two top goals for Meraki are to provide a safe place for our Basque neighbors to learn English and openly discuss culture, faith and the things that are most important to them in a relaxed and non-judgmental environment," Nathanael Warren said.
As the Meraki Exchange Point grows, he hopes to eventually hire staff that will be able to build deep connections and lasting relationships with those in their community that they might not have gotten to know beforehand. Nathaneal Warren said that he wants those relationships to be a reflection of the love of Christ.
According to Nathanael Warren, he wants the learning atmosphere of his and his wife's English school to be 'flipped.' The flipped classroom model allows student to be more intentional about their material and gives them the opportunity to learn at their own pace. He said that the flipped classroom model promotes equal learning opportunities by positioning the teacher as a coach and guide for the students as they access knowledge directly through their mobile devices or online portal within the classroom.
Nathanael Warren and his wife wanted to satisfy a great need in the community to learn English while also creating a space in the coffee shop where natives can casually speak or practice English. Nathanael Warren is also interested in allowing coffee consumers or attendees of the school to have pen pals in the United States to supply them for learning English.
"While the pen pal program may not be ready until September 2019, we would be glad to begin interviewing candidates from Taylor and other young people acquainted with the Basque country for this fun cultural interchange," Nathanael Warren said.
