ESL Program Starting, Volunteers Needed!

We were talking about the possibility of an English as a Second Language program at a meeting a couple of weeks ago. Fr. Pat has said this is an important ministry, and I have run across many folks who have expressed a desire to help. The only problem was that it was intimidating to start a bran new program. If only someone could just get the ball rolling, we thought, that would give us the opportunity to get established and go from there.

Like it says in scripture, ask and you shall receive.

Within a day of that meeting, we received contact from Bev, a woman who used to run the ESL program at St. James the Less. She wanted to start it up again, but needed a place to hold classes and could certainly use volunteers to assist. She may have to leave at the end of August, but in the meantime she can facilitate the program and get us up and running. Bev was involved in our group in the beginning and has been a big help at Grace Place Catholic Worker in Cincinnati.

Here are the specifics:

There will be intermediate and beginners level classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings between 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm. We are looking for people to be classroom teachers, one-on-one tutors, or occasional conversation partners (as well as students!) Tutors would have the option of scheduling a convenient time to meet with their student outside of regular class time.

The program kicks off on April 14th and 16th with "assessment sessions." Volunteers are needed to help determine the language skills of the students so they can be placed in the appropriate classes. No training is needed for this. Regular classes will begin the following week.

If you are interested, please call Frank at 614-267-3322 or email here. This a great opportunity not only to teach English, but also to practice Spanish and for cultural exchange. Spanish language skills are useful (especially for the beginners class), but not required.

The Dominican Learning Center provides a one-day training for tutors. It is from 9:00 am until 12:00 noon on May 9th and June 13th. You can begin volunteering before taking the class. Let us know if you want to take the class, as we have to schedule in advance.

There is the possibility of offering some Spanish classes as a cultural exchange, as well.

For conversation partners, all the students need is someone willing to talk at their own pace and to be patient while they try out their language skills. It is good while learning a language to get used to hearing different styles of speaking from different individuals. There are plenty of opportunities for interactive conversations, such as going through a kitchen and pointing out all the items and (the church sanctuary would also be a good place for that).

* * *

The mission of the Catholic Worker is the works of mercy. How is teaching English related to the works of mercy? It is another way to feed people. Instead of just giving people food directly, we are helping them develop the language skills that will enable them to feed themselves over the course of their lives, as well as communicate with more people. This is also a great opportunity to provide hospitality and a warm welcome to a segment of the population that is often very isolated.