Literacy New Jersey Burlington County Programs is welcoming new virtual volunteers to help county residents better themselves through reading, writing and communication skills.
The program reaches 12 state counties to offer free adult literacy services – from Burlington to Cape May – that help individuals and families gain more self-confidence through skills taught by trained volunteers.
Literacy New Jersey was originally called Literacy Volunteers, according to Rebecca Powers, regional program director of the former. It serves adults 18 and older, immigrants and native language speakers in learning reading, writing, math and English. Literacy New Jersey also helps adults with professional development and technical assistance.
Literacy New Jersey was awarded an AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP grant last April, funds that will pay for training potential volunteers who are 55 and older.
“The knowledge and experience of people 55 of age or older, who, maybe they are retired or maybe they’ll be retiring in a few years,” Powers said. “But they have so many skills they could offer to our students who are looking to improve their lives.”
Literacy New Jersey is also looking for virtual volunteers to teach English as a second language (ESL) and pre-GED (General Educational Development).
Powers noted that tutors create lesson plans that help students both meet and go beyond their goals, including opening their own businesses or restaurants and schools in their native countries.
“We have curricula that the tutors can use to help support the student’s goals, and we also encourage students to look past that,” Powers said. “So okay, you want to get your high-school diploma? What is it that you want to do with that high- school diploma?”
Most of Literacy New Jersey’s programs are currently virtual, with exceptions for a small percentage of students who participate by meeting their tutors at local libraries or other public places.
For the five-week training, new tutors are taught to work with both English- language learners and those who need basic literacy skills, and how to engage with students through Zoom. High-school students can also volunteer with “digital drop-ins” and Literacy New Jersey also partners with local libraries that show tutors the resources available at their facilities.
Powers cited how the program supports volunteers who want to give back to the community and also learn more skills for themselves.
“We’re here to support them, we’re here to support their goals and then we’re also here to give them back their own power over their own education,” she explained. “The biggest thing to be a volunteer with our program is you have to have an open mind and be willing to learn new things,” Powers said. “The best tutors are the tutors that are constantly learning. They love to learn, they are curious people.
“They learn not just to better themselves and to better their lesson plans and their teaching skills, but also because they love to learn about other people.”
