Support English Language Learning Program for Adults!

I blinked, and my 20’s are over! For my 30th, I’m raising startup money to continue an adult English Language Learning program I piloted last year during my time in graduate school. These funds will provide free workbooks and learning materials for adults learning English at my church. This will also allow me some time to adjust to my first semester of teaching middle school without spending too much time grant writing, etc. for the adult program just yet. Any funds which exceed the goal will go towards books for future semesters and/or trying out new materials.

Last year, in the program I started as my Master’s capstone project, about 25-30 learners and about 20-25 tutors attended each Sunday. Its timing right after the well-attended, highly active Spanish mass meant that most learners had already worked out transportation and scheduling to be there, which can often be a barrier to access. Post-tests showed positive language growth, and exit surveys showed powerful student-tutor relationships and increased learner confidence. 100% of participants said that they would recommend the program to a friend, and one gave the explanation that he had, “learned to lose the fear of making mistakes.”

The process of building this program has drawn on some of the things I’ve valued most in my 20’s and hope to carry forward into my 30’s: using education to affirm people’s dignity, focusing on the existing strengths of communities when working towards social change, and tapping into the transformative power of personal relationships. This program has always been the result of many, many people coming together to offer their unique support. So in a way, it’s fitting that I’m looking to the broader community again for the program’s reboot. Any amount you might be able to give is deeply appreciated. And regardless, you are a deeply appreciated part of my life - here’s to a new decade!