Volunteer with Literacy Network

Volunteers are essential to our work.

Each semester over 250 active volunteer tutors meet every week, one-on-one, with adults needing their help with reading, writing, speaking English, basic computer skills, or GED prep. Training and lesson plans are provided! Our three semesters are:

Summer: May-August

Fall: September-December

Spring: January-May

Please Scroll Down to Find All Available Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer Tutors are required to:

Be 18+ years old, as all of our students are adults
Complete Orientation & Training before tutoring begins
Be reliable, patient, and kind
Speak, read, and write English fluently (all ESL tutoring is done in English.)
Have daily access to email, as we communicate with tutors via email
Reliably get to their tutoring site *on time* every week, and stay for the entire session
Attend their assigned 2-hr tutoring session every week for an entire semester, with no more than two absences (excluding holidays)

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Shawn Steen

Director of Volunteer Services

If you have questions about volunteering or our application process that are not addressed on this page, please contact me at (608) 244-3911.

Tutoring Volunteer Opportunities

Check out each of the opportunities below.

Community Literacy ESL Tutoring

Community Literacy is a group ESL Tutoring program for adult immigrants and refugees. All tutoring is done in English and tutors work in weekly 2-hour classes with their assigned student for one semester. No experience needed: training and lesson plans are provided, and an ESL Session Leader is available every class to offer you and your student support as needed. Apply early, as spots can fill up fast! You can apply for any semester listed below; if it ends up that all tutor spots are full for a particular semester, you will be added to the waitlist.

SPRING SEMESTER 2019
(Jan 22-May 4)
Training: (choose one)
5:30-8:00pm Thu 1/17
or 9:00-11:30am Sat 1/19

SUMMER SEMESTER 2019
(May 28-Aug 17)
Training: (choose one)
5:30-8:00pm Thu 5/23
or 9:00-11:30am Sat 5/25

FALL SEMESTER 2019
(Sep 16-Dec 14)
Training: (choose one)
5:30-8:00pm Tue 9/12
or 9:00-11:30am Sat 9/14

Tutor Requirements

You MUST attend Tutor Training at Literacy Network before tutoring; we give preference to applicants able to attend one of our scheduled trainings at the start of the semester.
Reliable transportation is required of all tutors. (If you are planning to take a bus to/from your tutoring sessions, please research your route ahead of time to be sure you understand the commute you are committing to.)
You must attend EVERY WEEK during the semester; no more than 2 absences are permitted. (Let your Session Leader know any anticipated absences at the beginning of the semester.)

Weekly ESL Tutoring classes are below; if a class for the semester you’re applying is full, you will be added to the waiting list.

Monday nights, 6-8pm at Literacy Network (701 Dane St)
Tuesday mornings 10am-12noon at Literacy Network (Focus on basic computer literacy)
Tuesday nights, 6-8pm at Literacy Network (701 Dane St)
Wednesday mornings, 9-11am at Literacy Network (701 Dane Street)
Wednesday nights, 6-8pm at Literacy Network (701 Dane St)
Wednesday nights, 6-8pm at Vera Court Neighborhood Center (614 Vera Ct)
Thursday mornings, 10am-12pm at Lussier Community Center (55 S. Gammon)
Thursday nights, 6-8pm at Literacy Network (701 Dane St)
Saturday mornings, 9-11am at Literacy Network (701 Dane St)

Apply: ESL Tutoring

Basic Computer Skills & Literacy Tutoring

Our Skills in Computers & Literacy for Employment (SCALE) program focuses on teaching adults basic computer and literacy skills (vocabulary, spelling, using email, filling out online forms, or basic Word/Excel formatting). (NOTE: This is NOT an ESL program.) Tutors work in weekly 2-hour classes with their assigned student, and this commitment is for one semester. Training and lesson plans are provided, and a Session Leader is available every class to offer you and your student support as needed.

SPRING SEMESTER 2019
(Jan 22-May 4)
Training: 6-8pm Thu Jan 17

SUMMER SEMESTER 2019
(May 28-Aug 17)
Training:
6:00-8:00pm Thu 5/23

FALL SEMESTER 2019
(Sep 16-Dec 14)
Training:
6:00-8:00pm Thu 9/12

Tutor Requirements

You MUST attend Tutor Training at Literacy Network before tutoring; we give preference to applicants able to attend one of our scheduled trainings at the start of the semester.
Reliable transportation is required of all tutors. (If you are planning to take a bus to/from your tutoring sessions, please research your route ahead of time to be sure you understand the commute you are committing to.)
You must attend EVERY WEEK during the semester; no more than 2 absences are permitted. (Let your Session Leader know any anticipated absences at the beginning of the semester.)

Weekly SCALE classes are below; if a class for the semester you’re applying is full, you will be added to the waiting list.

Tuesday nights, 6:00-8:00pm at Hawthorne Library (2707 E. Washington Av.)
Tuesday nights, 6:00-8:00pm at Seven Oaks (1108 Moorland Rd)
Wednesday mornings, 10:30am-12:30pm at Goodman South Library (2222 S. Park St)
Thursday nights, 6:00-8:00pm at Literacy Network (701 Dane St)
Thursday nights, 6:00-8:00pm at Meadowridge Library (5726 Raymond Rd)

Apply: Computer Skills & Literacy Tutoring

GED Tutoring

Still remember your high school algebra and writing skills? Our GED Tutoring program supports adult students working on high school completion (GED, HSED, 509) or taking classes at Madison College. Training and support are provided by a professional instructor, available every class. Tutors are required to attend class every week, with no more than two absences during the semester. Bilingual volunteers (Spanish/English) and volunteers specializing in math are encouraged to apply!

SPRING SEMESTER 2019
(Jan 22-May 11)
Training:
6:00-8:00pm Wed 1/16

SUMMER SEMESTER 2019
(May 28-Aug 17)
Training:
TBA

FALL SEMESTER 2019
(Sep 16-Dec 14)
Training:
TBA

Weekly GED Tutoring sessions are:

Monday nights, 5:30-7:30pm at Madison College Downtown (211 N. Carroll St)
Monday nights, 6:00-8:00pm at Madison College South (2238 S. Park St)
Thursday nights, 6:00-8:00pm at Literacy Network (701 Dane St)
Friday mornings, 10:00am-12:00pm at Literacy Network (701 Dane St)

Tutor Requirements:

Comfortable helping someone with ALL the following high school level academic topics (materials and support will be provided): algebra & geometry, reading comprehension, essay composition, social studies, science, and civics.
Able to share effective study and test-taking strategies.
Mature, dependable, patient, and kind.
Non-judgmental and interculturally sensitive.

Apply: GED Tutoring

Instructional Internships

If you have teaching or tutoring experience and are available 10hrs/week for one semester, please consider applying for a group tutoring program Session Leader position! These internships can help you:

sharpen instructive, managerial, and communication skills
get better acquainted with issues affecting adults with low literacy
become better prepared for careers that have educational or international reach
become a better teacher, healthcare provider, business executive, or community leader

Duties include creating lesson plans for up to 8 student/volunteer tutor pairs every week, tracking attendance, attending your weekly group tutoring session, and providing support as needed to the pairs in your session. Lesson planning time is flexible; as long as it is done here at Literacy Network (701 Dane St) during regular office hours (we are open until 8:00 pm Mon-Thu). Successful interns receive $600 per semester.

Students are Madison-area adults (many who are immigrants and refugees) who struggle with rudimentary reading, writing, spoken English, or really basic computer skills (sending an email, making words bold or italic, etc). When they improve those skills, they can find jobs, better support their families, stay healthy, and be more involved in their children’s education. The adults in our programs come from over 70 different countries and speak over a hundred languages – but all instruction is in English, so additional language skills are not required.

This is a great way to learn new skills and have fun while having a meaningful impact in the lives of others. Interns can be college students, retirees, or professionals looking for a new experience—anyone looking for a great way to gain valuable professional skills while helping others in the community!

Click here for more information about our 2019 ESL Group Tutoring Internships

Click here for more information about our 2019 Basic Computer Skills & Literacy Internships

Event Volunteer Opportunities

Check out each of the opportunities below.

Other Ways to Volunteer

We always welcome your group to organize a stand-alone event to support Literacy Network adult learners, and we’d be happy to help develop promotional materials and meet with your group to talk about our work. Here are some event ideas:

FUNDRAISER: Host a company-wide bake sale or scrabble tournament – something fun to raise money for adult literacy education and spread awareness of the 55,000 adults who struggle with low literacy in Dane County.
DRIVE FOR DRIVES: Adult learners save their resumes and other documents they’ve created in classes on USB drives. We need about 50-100 every semester.

If your group is interested in organizing a stand-alone event or activities, please contact our Development and Marketing Specialist, Elliott Valentine at (608) 244-3911.

Please note, Literacy Network no longer holds book sale fundraisers and therefore is no longer accepting donations of books. If you would like to hold a book drive in support of a local cause, we recommend you contact your local library or our friends at Madison Reading Project.

Shawn Steen

Director of Volunteer Services

If you have questions about volunteering or our application process that are not addressed on this page, please contact me at (608) 244-3911.

If you are a current Literacy Network tutor and would like to access resources, please visit our Tutor Resources page!

Current Tutor Resources

Volunteer with Literacy Network

Volunteers are essential to our work.

Please Scroll Down to Find All Available Volunteer Opportunities

Shawn Steen

Tutoring Volunteer Opportunities

Check out each of the opportunities below.

Community Literacy ESL Tutoring

Apply: ESL Tutoring

Basic Computer Skills & Literacy Tutoring

Apply: Computer Skills & Literacy Tutoring

GED Tutoring

Apply: GED Tutoring

Instructional Internships

Click here for more information about our 2019 ESL Group Tutoring Internships

Click here for more information about our 2019 Basic Computer Skills & Literacy Internships

Event Volunteer Opportunities

Check out each of the opportunities below.

Other Ways to Volunteer

Shawn Steen

Contact

Office Hours

Opportunities