email : Webview : June News & Updates from LVCA

LVCA Citizenship Program Stays Connected to USCIS

Our Citizenship Coordinator, Catherine McCall, recently attended a day-long training in Greensboro, North Carolina, led by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Education program staff. Other staff and volunteers also regularly attend USCIS workshops to better support LVCA citizenship students. Participation in these events helps LVCA update class materials and modify our practice interviews to align with changes in how USCIS officers conduct naturalization interviews. By building these relationships with USCIS, Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/ Albemarle has also been able to advocate directly to the head of the local field office on behalf of LVCA students in cases where officers did not follow USCIS policy.

In addition to one-on-one tutoring on English language proficiency and civics topics, LVCA conducts citizenship classes on Zoom and in-person.

Mini-Conference Planned for Volunteers

The staff is busy planning the annual summer Mini-Conference, which is an opportunity for LVCA tutors to come together and share their experiences with each other. All tutors are invited to a day of professional development and in-service training on Saturday, June 24, from 9 am to 3 pm. The mini-conference will feature a variety of instructional and informational workshops led by LVCA staff, volunteers, and guests from partner organizations. The event will be held at the Center at Belvedere, and we are requesting a $20 contribution for volunteers to cover the cost of a continental breakfast from Bodo's Bagels and lunch from Feast.

If you are interested in sponsoring this event to help cover additional costs, contact Ellen Osborne or donate here.

LVCA Program Manager Chosen to Lead Nationwide Professional Development Workshops

Steven Reid has been Literacy Volunteers' Program Manager since 2016

LVCA’s Program Manager, Steven Reid, was selected by ProLiteracy, the largest adult education membership organization in the nation, as one of three presenters to provide professional development webinars to their members nationwide and abroad. His most popular workshop, Best Practices for Helping Students with Pronunciation, was viewed by over 400 people when it aired live, and over 900 people have since viewed the recording. “The most fascinating aspect of this webinar series was the follow-up coaching sessions,” Steven said. “It was a chance for individuals who watched the webinar to meet with me and ask questions about the material. It was a wonderful way to connect with adult education practitioners from literacy programs all over the county.”

The program was so successful that Proliteracy invited Steven back to present another round of webinars. "It's a testament to the quality of what we're doing at Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle that we're being asked to share our educational practices with so many other literacy programs across the country," Steven said.

Become a Literacy Volunteer this Summer

If you've considered becoming a literacy volunteer, we encourage you to attend an upcoming volunteer information session or tutor training event. No teaching experience is required, only a desire to help learners reach their educational goals. Please click the links below, or email Heather Tebbenhoff with any questions.

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