1. 

2.  Why offer group and one-time volunteer opportunities?  ESL Social  Pen Pals  Outreach  How could your program engage groups of volunteers?  Q and A

5.  Trend toward people choosing shorter, one-time volunteer projects rather than ongoing commitments  Volunteering is a social activity  Social responsibility is increasingly valued among corporations

6.  2 out of 3 volunteers donate to the agency  Volunteers give 10 times as much money on average  Corporations often require that their grants go to organizations where their employees volunteer

7.  The Minnesota Literacy Council receives requests from businesses, community groups and families who want to volunteer together.

9.  Volunteers participate in a group conversation activity with students in an ESL class

10.  Students listen to multiple English speakers  Increases students’ comfort with speaking and listening in real-world situations  Volunteers interact in a meaningful way with students from a variety of countries

11.  Volunteers exchange letters with ESL students

12.  Students practice reading and writing skills, learn about U.S. customs and culture, and share information about their respective home countries and cultures  Volunteers support ESL students from a distance and learn about the experiences of immigrants or refugees

14.  Volunteers distribute flyers to local businesses near your program

15.  Increases connections with nearby businesses and community organizations  Raises awareness of adult literacy classes and allows individuals (volunteers and business owners alike) to become familiar with your program

17.  What group activity would you like to do with your class or program?  How will it serve your program’s mission?

18.  Introduction and tour  Brief orientation with specific instructions  Post-activity reflection and questions  Additional volunteer opportunities  2 to 3 hours total  Make it a team effort

19.  What are some of the challenges or obstacles?

20.  What is the first step you can take to solve them?

21. “The ESL Socials have been really great, both for our students and for the people visiting. A student came up to me after one of them and said we should have conversation practice like that every day! A lot of the volunteers have never known someone from another country, so it’s been really informative for them. The ESL Socials give students a lot more time to practice with native speakers than they ordinarily get in class, so even the students who are less outspoken in class get a lot of time practicing speaking.”

22. “My learners were glowing with excitement after our ESL Social. A few students immediately asked me, ‘When are they coming back?’”

23.  Allison Runchey  arunchey@mnliteracy.org  651-251-9110