How Volunteering Helps Bring the Community Together

Summary

The website content discusses the impact of volunteering as an ESOL tutor through platforms like Tutoria, emphasizing how it helps immigrants overcome language barriers, fosters community bonds, and promotes social inclusion.

Abstract

The article highlights the personal and societal benefits of volunteering as an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) tutor, drawing from the author's own experience. It underscores the significance of language proficiency in empowering immigrants, such as Mariana, to achieve their dreams, like starting a business. The author, an immigrant themselves, recounts the challenges faced due to language barriers and the motivation it provided to become a certified ESOL tutor. The narrative shifts to the role of Tutoria, a free community-based online platform, in connecting volunteer tutors with immigrants in need of language assistance, preparation for citizenship tests, and legal aid. The article emphasizes that volunteers are crucial to nonprofit organizations like Tutoria, as they address the primary challenge of language barriers faced by immigrants. It also notes the positive social impact of volunteering, including the formation of meaningful relationships, promotion of inclusion, and the creation of a supportive community. The author advocates for the importance of such volunteer work in building a more inclusive and equitable world.

Opinions

The author believes that overcoming language barriers is crucial for immigrants' success and integration into society.
There is a strong sense of personal fulfillment and passion in the author's work as an ESOL tutor.
The author values the role of Tutoria in providing free educational resources and support to immigrants, highlighting its effectiveness as a nonprofit organization.
The article suggests that volunteering not only aids individuals but also strengthens the entire community by fostering social cohesion and equality.
The author expresses that volunteering can lead to improved mental health, educational attainment, and earnings for immigrants

As an ESOL tutor, I am helping make a difference in people’s lives

Mariana was my ESOL student for a year before she felt confident enough to pursue her longtime dream of starting a spa. Yes, I was happy to have accomplished my mission to teach Mariana how to better communicate in English but more than that was the feeling of a proud parent.

When I first came to the US, I remember walking into a fast chain restaurant one hot summer’s day and asking for a vanilla cone. The young person behind the counter could not or would not understand my pronunciation of the word ‘vanilla.’ After three tries I gave up and left because I was holding up the line and in NYC that is a no-no.

The embarrassment and frustration from that and other similar experiences still linger despite the passage of many years.

I empathize with the plight of immigrants because I am an immigrant myself and the first chance I got, I trained to become a certified ESOL tutor and thereafter started working with immigrants. I help them improve their grammar and communication, assist with job applications, prepare them for interviews and most of all help them acclimatize to the new culture.

This has been one of the best decisions I made because it is the perfect combination of passion and fulfilling work for me.

And that is what drew me to volunteer for Tutoria, a free community-based online platform that connects volunteer tutors with clients who need help with learning English, preparing for their citizenship test, and legal aid.

Volunteers form the heart of a nonprofit organization like Tutoria. Since many nonprofits rely on volunteers to run their day-to-day activities, stepping up to support them not only goes a long way in making a difference in people’s lives but also helps forge strong communities.

How, you ask?

By solving problems: Per reports, the number 1 challenge immigrants face when coming into a new country is the language barrier: “The language barrier is the main challenge as it affects the ability to communicate with others. That is because it is assumed that immigrants will learn English or French, depending on their preferences. This may negatively impact the quality of informed decision-making and the care experience for immigrants.”

This is just one of the many hurdles they face.

Even though studies show that learning English is correlated with higher educational attainment, earnings, social assimilation, and improved mental health, many immigrants face are unable to access classes due to a lack of finances.

Here is where organizations like Tutoria come in to bridge the gap.

Tutoria is a New York-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2017 by Alex Sulyevich and run by an all-volunteer team. This is an entirely free service where both the clients and volunteer tutors decide how they want to meet once a connection has been established on the platform.

2. Positive social impact: Volunteering helps forge strong communities through the creation of meaningful relationships between volunteers and the members of the community as this excerpt demonstrates: “You’re sure to meet people and make new friends that share common interests, values, and outlooks. Building a community in which you are all working together towards common future goals will nurture your sense of belonging and purpose and expand your support system.”

In addition to educational and social enrichment, volunteering helps promote inclusion. The friendships formed between volunteers and the relationships created with members of the community can transcend race, class, and even time.

As Alma Rominger of Growth Ensemble says: “We all contribute to the construction of the world we live in — don’t you want your contribution to be one that makes that world better? Working towards equality for everyone will make a better world for all of us!”

If you would like to know more about Tutoria or are interested in supporting them, you can do so by visiting their website and by checking out this video.