LITERACY VOLUNTEERS

YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Become a volunteer tutor at Literacy Volunteers of Essex and Franklin Counties. For more information please call one of our local offices:

Port Henry (518) 546-3008Saranac Lake (518) 891-5567
Lake Placid (518) 523-5994
Malone (518) 483-9366

Q In order to participate, how many hours must I commit?

Typically a tutor spends one to two hours a week with each student. This would result in four to eight hours a month, depending on the tutor's availability. Volunteers have the opportunity to work with more than one student. Generally, a volunteer agrees to participate for one year.

Q Could you tell me more about the people LVA helps?

We help anyone who wants to upgrade his or her reading and/or math skills, including beginning readers as well as those working towards a G.E.D. (high school equivalency diploma). Some of our students are recent immigrants who want to learn English to fully participate in everyday life. We also work with children in after-school programs and provide an outreach to story hours and Head Stars programs with our new mascot, Roo the Reader. Our services are free and confidential!

Q What kind of training do you provide?

Literacy Volunteers provides comprehensive training workshops in both Basic Literacy and English as a Second Language. Basic Literacy Workshops offer training to teach adults basic reading skills. The target population is adults reading below an 8th grade level. English as a Second Language Workshops (ESL) offer training to teach conversational English to non-English speaking adults. Knowledge of a foreign language is not required to tutor. Volunteer tutors develop their skills by attending an 12 hour workshop. Training includes video tapes and live demonstrations. Trainees practice teaching techniques throughout the workshop. Each trainee is supplied with an LVA handbook. After successfully completing a workshop, the trained tutors are matched with learners.