Volunteer Hours This School Year: 4420 | |
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"I volunteer at Literacy Source because I want people who have chosen to immigrate
to the US to feel welcomed. I also want to help them to succeed. From the students
I have helped I know their journey has not been easy. But each has come with a lot
of hope and a dream for a better life. This is so much more than a cliche. My students
work very hard to improve their English (not an easy task) and job skills, so they can
provide for their families. It’s a very basic human desire and it is a great feeling
to know I provide a little bit of help along the way."
~Ann, Literacy Source Volunteer
Our biggest event of the year is less than a month away! You, our wonderful volunteers, show us every day how much you care about the work that we do, and as a non-profit, it is so important to get the word out so that our community of supporters can grow.
Volunteering is not only good for the people you directly impact, it can also have major benefits for you as well. People who volunteer have been shown to have improved mental and physical health. Volunteering releases the feel-good hormone, dopamine, which in turn causes lower rates of depression, anxiety, heart disease, and stroke. This is partially because that volunteering is great for keeping people engaged in their communities, teaching new skills, and getting that sense of accomplishment.
You demonstrate your care and commitment to your community every day. You continue to come back, not only because you see the impact to those you serve, but because you find meaning and joy in your work.
In last month's volunteer newsletter, Stacey and I posted a video with an elevator pitch talking about Literacy Source. So we put the call out to you to learn more about how you came to Literacy Source, or if you have any meaningful stories about your volunteering experience you'd like to share so that others can understand the importance of the work we do. We've received some wonderful stories from you that we will continue to share over the coming months, but we'd love to hear more! Please continue to send quotes to us either in written form or by recording yourself on your phone.
Thank you so much for the valuable time and energy that you dedicate to our students. We hope that we'll continue to see you, for whatever the reason is you volunteer at Literacy Source.
With gratitude,
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Liz Wurster
Communications Coordinator
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Alex Olsen
AmeriCorps Outreach and Systems Coordinator VISTA
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It's Women's History Month, so hat's off to the wonderful women who enrich our lives! At Literacy Source, we believe strongly in the power of education. In fact, it's at the heart of what we do. We bring together students from around the world, dreaming of a better life, and partner with them to make it possible for them to gain the basic literacy skills they need in order to succeed in school, to find a job, to achieve life goals, and to create that better, more hopeful future that they dream of.
As you all know from your experiences in developing those partnerships, it is no small task. So we thought to recognize some of the amazing women who have taken on the big but important task of expanding and innovating in the world of education and literacy. Do you recognize any of these faces? Whether supporting legislation in the United States to reduce discrimination and offer healthier educational environments, introducing new methods of education, or paving a new path to education for those who had been denied the privilege previously, these women have bravely stepped forward in the fight to ensure that education is available to all, and we salute their efforts, this month and every month.
Clockwise from top left: Malala Yousafzai, Mary McLeod Bethune, Maria Montessori, Michelle Obama, Savitribai Phule, Patsy Mink.
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Empower Through Literacy: Rise and Shine Breakfast | |
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We are excited to gather in person for the first time in four years for a morning filled with inspiration, shared stories, and a celebration of literacy at our Empower Through Literacy- Rise and Shine Breakfast at 7:30am on April 19th at Seattle Marriott Waterfront.
Save your seat by registering to join us either online or in-person here.
We are looking for volunteers to make the Breakfast memorable. If you’re interested in helping by being a table captain, setting up or tearing down, greeting, taking photos, or writing thank you cards following the breakfast please contact analisaj@literacysource.org.
Also, here is a message from Caroline, our Volunteer Program Manager:
Are you interesting in attending the breakfast but not sure where to sit? I have plenty of room at my table so please join ME! Put me down as the host when you register and I will see you there!
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Teaching Tip: Class Break Tutoring Ideas | | |
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During the class break there will be no ongoing class materials so you may need to find other ways to enhance your tutoring or just connect with your students while the Literacy Source office is closed.
Here are some ideas to keep the connection going and to keep students motivated...
To read the full teaching tip, go here!
By Caroline Socha, Volunteer Program Manager
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We have TWO Spring Term trainings coming up:
1. Teaching Writing Training (In-person at the Lake City Center)
Saturday, March 30th 10am - noon
Lake City Center, 3200 NE 125th St. Seattle WA 98125
Snacks provided!
This training is for volunteers either tutoring students in writing or supporting them in the classroom activities. The training will explore instructional strategies for low stakes writing practice routines to support reluctant writers, as well as when and how to give writing feedback during the writing process. You will get hands-on practice on how to support assigned writing tasks with their learners. Training is suitable for all levels of students.
Please join the Writing Training Google Classroom to RSVP and complete the pre-activity.
Questions? Contact the instructors: Cat and Leesy
2. Zoom Skills Workshop (online)
This training is required for all new classroom assistants and online tutors, and optional for returning volunteers.
Monday, April 1st, 6 - 7pm OR Thursday, April 4th , 10 - 11am
The training reviews Zoom skills students need in their classes; it is a time for you to learn/review and practice these skills so you can assist students with troubleshooting. Please review the short training videos before the workshop, then you will have time to practice in the training. Topics include: screensharing, joining/leaving breakout rooms, using annotate tools, renaming and background effects (useful for privacy).
Please join the Zoom Skills Google Classroom to sign up to attend, view videos and Zoom link for the trainings.
Questions? Contact the instructor: Leesy
If you need help joining and navigating the Google Classroom please see this document: Joining and Navigating the Google Classroom
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Congratulations - and thank you! - to the following volunteers for reaching a year of service with Literacy Source!
- Elinor Chang: ESOL 2 Online Tutor
- Tori Portillo: - ESOL 3 Online Tutor
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Literacy Source partnered with seven adults who became new citizens in the past month: one from Democratic Republic of Congo, two from Ethiopia, one from Eritrea, two from Peru, and one from Uruguay. Congratulations!
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Staff Reads: Women's History Month | | |
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Hear Me Talkin’ to You: Womxn & Blues - Music of Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton, and Etta James
Thursday, March 21, 6:30 pm (The Royal Room, $20-25)
Immerse yourself in the stories, songs and voices of womxn and non-binary artists through blues and blues-rooted repertoire. Year two of this dynamic series, Hear Me Talkin’ to You: Womxn & Blues, will feature local artists interpreting Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton, Etta James, Ma Rainey, Koko Taylor, Ruthie Foster, Memphis Minnie, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Bonnie Raitt, Ethyl Waters, Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin as well as showcasing original music. Shows the 3rd Thursday from March through June, curated by Reese T.
Benjamin Herold with Dahlia Bazzaz: Unraveling Suburbia
Friday, March 29, 7:30pm (The Wyncote NW Forum 1119 8th Ave, $5-$25)
Public schools are a cornerstone of the American suburbs; they are the assumed status symbols for upwardly mobile families. Yet Herold argues that the very infrastructures of America, including schools and housing, are undermining the dreams that American suburbia was built on.
Herold paints portraits of people from his new book, Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America’s Suburbs, where he examines the places people live in and the varying degrees of privilege that Americans hold. Outside Atlanta, a middle-class Black family faces off with a school system. North of Dallas, a white family relocates to an affluent suburb but can’t escape the changes sweeping the country. And outside Pittsburgh, a Black mother moves to the same street where Herold grew up, then confronts the destructive legacy left behind. For generations, white families have extracted opportunity from suburbs, then moved on before the bills for maintenance and repair came due, leaving Black and Brown families to clean up. But this endless expansion is no longer feasible. The suburban lifestyle dream, Herold argues, is a Ponzi scheme whose unraveling threatens us all.
Celebrating International Women
Saturday, March 30, 2 - 5pm (Kenmore Town Square, FREE)
We invite You to join this day full of inspiration and recognition to strengthen the support network between women entrepreneurs and those who inspire to achieve professional goals.
Join us for an empowered and inclusive event with the goals of:
- Sharing rich cultural heritage and stories of resilience among immigrant women, refugees,asylum seekers and BIPOC.
- Fostering connections and understanding through open discussions about the unique challenges and triumphs facing these communities.
- Providing a platform for networking and collaboration between individuals and organizations committed to supporting inclusion and equality.
- Celebrating the impact and influence of women in the business world.
We look forward to your participation in this inspiring event as we collectively promote cultural understanding, solidarity and empowerment.
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Our next New Volunteer Orientation (via Zoom) will be on April 3 at either 1pm or 7pm.
Potential volunteers are invited to register online here.
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Calendar/Spring Break Office Hours | |
Miss any of our past volunteer newsletters? You can access archived newsletters at the bottom of the Volunteer Resources of our webpage. | | | | |
