Recent natural disasters like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have seen volunteer numbers grow as many Americans look for ways to help. But even before this summer, volunteering has been on the rise. This article in the New York Times describes a trend that spiked in the week after the November 2016 election. New York Cares, for example, reported a 137 percent increase compared to November 2015. And traffic on a volunteering website administered by the city of New York has risen 20% in the past few months. Nationally, the online service VolunteerMatch saw traffic increase by 7%, with the majority of would-be volunteers interested in the category “politics” which covers groups dealing with climate change, poverty, and human rights, among others. In New York City, a study conducted by City Hall discovered that 48 percent of New Yorkers volunteer in some capacity, which is more than three times the national average. This article in the Wall Street Journal describes how companies are going beyond the traditional model of corporate volunteer programs to allow new ways for employees to donate their professional expertise (pro-bono). Companies see this as an important tool for attracting and retaining employees looking for purposeful careers.
One of the many volunteer opportunities available in NYC is teaching English to immigrants and helping people prepare for citizenship tests. Interested in learning more about this type of volunteering? The American Language Institute at NYU SPS is offering the following workshop this Fall:
Volunteer ESL Teaching: Give Back / Find a New Career Path
3 Sessions: 10/27 to 11/10 , 10 a.m. to 12 noon, CESL1-CE9394 Section 1
Volunteer ESL teaching is a great way to give back to the community while refining your cross-cultural skills and making international contacts. In this workshop, you learn about volunteer opportunities to help adult international newcomers practice their spoken English as well as strategies for teaching them, such as role-plays, watching and discussing film clips and news programs, and storytelling. Develop and sharpen your own skills while helping others to develop theirs.
Other courses at NYUSPS this Fall
Creating and Managing Public Works of Art
Detroit: Past, Present, and Future