Developing communication skills is the focus of two programs needing volunteers this fall: the “Reader/Writer Program,” assisting students in Minneapolis Public Schools grades 7-12 to develop literacy skills; and “Partners in English,” engaging in conversation with adults for whom English is not their first language.

Reader/Writer volunteers are paired with students to review, lightly edit, and comment on writing the students completed in their English classes. Because their teachers are often assigned 180-200 students, the program significantly expands the individual feedback their students receive. The activity is conducted bi-weekly via mail—no travel or email involved.

According to Lia Venchi, who founded and developed the program, “The students love not just all the feedback they receive, but also the personal connection and ongoing engagement with their readers. Relationship matters and motivates.”

“You get to know your assigned student pretty well over the course of the year,” says UMRA’s Bill Donohue, who has been volunteering with the Reader/Writer Program for several years. “While you help with some basic things like sentence or paragraph structure, you also see their thinking processes develop as they learn to sharpen their wording and essays. It has been a very satisfying and rewarding experience for me.”

A student that volunteer Jeanne Jacobson worked with told her that Jeanne’s feedback “made me feel there was someone who cared for my writing and wanted to help me cultivate it.”

Go to readerwriter.org to learn more about the program. You can register to volunteer through the University Retirees Volunteer Center website at urvc.umn.edu, or by calling 612-625-8016. 

Community-based conversation circles

Partners in English (PIE)  provides opportunities for persons for whom English is not their first language to practice and improve their spoken English through informal conversation with native speakers. Operation Metro Surge brought the program to a halt this past year, but the weekly meetings are now resuming and friendly conversationalists are needed.

PIE Coordinator and UMRA member John Anderson reports that participants come from countries across five continents, and many are here through a connection with the University. “Often they are a spouse or a parent of a UMN student, and their levels of English fluency are all over the map. Conversation facilitators simply need to have a commitment to helping our international guests make progress with their spoken English skills.” 

Conversations may involve a range of topics—country of origin, food favorites, interesting places, favorite activities—any of which can lead to a discussion of the meaning of words, grammar, and pronunciation. “In the process,” Anderson adds, “relationships can develop which provide a sense of belonging and support for all participants.” 

Sessions are held each Thursday afternoon from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Saint Anthony Park Library on Como Avenue in St. Paul. For additional information or to volunteer for PIE, contact John Anderson at [email protected] or 651-489-4330.

—Jerry Rinehart, URVC Leadership Council chair