Trinidad International Cultural Institute (TICI)
Trinidad International Cultural Institute (TICI) was founded by Jason Trinidad to promote language learning through cultural exchange, creativity, and global awareness. The institute develops and supports innovative teaching approaches, including the Mini Trini Method, which integrates the arts into language instruction, and the Cultural Immersion Method, which encourages students to learn language through real-life cultural experiences such as music, food, traditions, and everyday communication. TICI also supports linguistic exploration through Atynese, a constructed language that draws vocabulary from languages around the world while simplifying grammar to make learning more accessible. In addition, EnglishMiami connects teachers and learners by creating English teaching and learning opportunities for people across Miami and beyond.
Our Founder
Jason Trinidad Pucheu, M.Ed, founder of Trinidad International Cultural Institute, was raised between the United States and the Dominican Republic. Growing up in cultures sparked an early fascination with languages, traditions, and the ways people communicate across cultural boundaries.
As a child, he spent time helping at his family’s gift shop, where travelers from around the world would visit and share stories about their countries. These encounters inspired a lifelong curiosity about other cultures and a desire to learn the languages that connect people across borders.
In college, Trinidad Pucheu studied Foreign Languages and Literatures and Dance Anthropology, combining his interests in language, culture, and the arts. Over the years he traveled extensively, learning about languages, music, dance, history, and social traditions in different parts of the world. He also organized cultural events and performances that celebrated global traditions and artistic expression.
Throughout his career as an educator and school leader, he has promoted creative approaches to learning, often integrating the arts, movement, and technology into language and social studies instruction. His work in education has focused on motivating students through cultural exploration and experiential learning. He spent a few years training students and teachers in Asia.
In 1995, he founded Trinidad International Cultural Institute (TICI) to bring together language learning, the arts, and cultural immersion. Through TICI, Trinidad Pucheu continues to promote innovative language education and international cultural exchange.
Our Story
Trinidad International Cultural Institute (TICI) was founded in 1995 in Chicago to promote language learning through cultural exchange, creativity, and global understanding. From the beginning, the institute emphasized that languages are best learned through meaningful cultural experiences rather than memorization alone.
TICI developed innovative teaching approaches including the Mini Trini Method, which integrates music, dance, and the arts into language instruction, and the Cultural Immersion Method, which encourages students to learn through real-life cultural experiences. The children's program, also called Mini Trini, featured original songs designed to help young learners easily absorb Spanish and other foreign languages.
The institute also hosted several artistic programs. Ethnic Exposure Dance Ensemble was a dance company housed at TICI that featured dance styles from around the world, where dancers both taught and performed multiple cultural traditions. Another program, Fiesta Flamenca: A Fiery Touch of Spain, celebrated Spanish dance and culture. TICI also hosted a theater program. As Artistic Director, Jason Trinidad ensured that dance and the performing arts were integrated into language programs.
In 2004, TICI founded Casa Trinidad in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico, originally as a language immersion program where students practiced Spanish through everyday cultural experiences. The program later evolved into a cultural hostel welcoming travelers interested in language exchange. Casa Trinidad was later also established in Miami.
Over time, TICI expanded its reach and later relocated its base to Miami, while developing language programs in Shanghai and Taiwan. The institute also created A Different Speed, a YouTube show hosted by Jason Trinidad, where English is spoken slowly to help learners build vocabulary and listening skills.
TICI also supports linguistic creativity through Atynese, a constructed language (conlang) designed to simplify grammar and encourage curiosity about how languages work.
Today, TICI continues to promote language learning, cultural appreciation, and creative educational methods that connect people across cultures.