ESOL Volunteer

CASA & CASA IN ACTION SYNOPSIS:
As the largest grassroots immigrant advocacy organization in the Mid-Atlantic region, CASA has over 36 years of experience organizing over 120,000 lifetime immigrant, Latino, and working class members. Founded in 1986, our model focuses on blending human services, community organizing, and strategic campaigns in order to serve the full spectrum of the needs, dreams, and aspirations of our members. CASA’s mission is to create a more just society by building power and improving the quality of life in working-class and immigrant communities. Our vision is a future where we stand in our own power, our families live free from discrimination and fear, and our diverse communities thrive as we work with our partners to achieve full human rights for all. CASA has a sister organization, CASA in Action, a separate, but related, nonprofit organization that is exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. CASA in Action endorses candidates that advance its membership’s priorities and facilitates greater engagement of Latinos and voters of color in elections. Although CASA and CASA in Action share a common goal of supporting immigrants and low-income people in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, they are separate organizations with their own board of directors.

DEPARTMENT SYNOPSIS:
CASA’s Department of Education provides ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) courses to adult learners using both Popular Education and Traditional Education methodologies to address the linguistic needs of its students and to provide them with otherwise unavailable educational opportunities.  Our classes also serve to empower students to make positive social change within their community and connect students to concrete opportunities to join other CASA members in the fight for immigration reform, workers’ rights, universal equality, and social justice.  

The goal of CASA’s Life Skills ESOL Program is to improve participants’ listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English so that they may become more financially independent, increase their employability, better integrate into U.S. society, and achieve their personal goals.  Classes provide adult-learners with the skills to apply English accurately and appropriately in a variety of places including but not limited to home, community, and workplace settings. 

POSITION SUMMARY AND REQUIREMENTS:

• Conduct outreach calls in Spanish (mostly) and English to potential ESOL students to provide a program overview and information regarding upcoming registrations
• Participate in street outreach in Spanish and English to local businesses and community members regarding CASA’s ESOL program and upcoming registrations
• Disseminate registration flyers to various CASA centers 
• Perform administrative duties such as organizing paperwork and office materials and making copies
• Update outreach materials, student surveys and other program materials
• Record program data and student enrollment data on Excel spreadsheets and in Salesforce database
• Maintain the confidentiality of student information
• Assist ESOL Coordinators in updating curriculum materials for both the Workforce ESOL and Life Skills ESOL Programs
• Support ESOL registrations by assisting students in the completion of registration forms and proctoring the written and oral assessment  
• Participate in outreach events and other CASA community events related to immigration reform and social justice
• Potential for other duties to be performed as the occasion and necessity arises 

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE/ SKILLS SET: 

• Bilingual (Spanish and English); additional language skills beneficial
• Comfortable speaking on the phone in Spanish
• Prior volunteer experience with an educational institution, public policy or advocacy organizations/non­profits and a familiarity with the local Latino community
• Welcoming, outgoing, and patient in interactions with community memberships
• Highly organized and detail oriented
• Responsible
• Highly computer proficient

BENEFITS OF POSITION

• Experience working on current educational issues and interacting with adult learners
• Exposure to Popular Education and adult continuing education curricula
• Experience performing administrative tasks essential to non-profit entry level employment including Salesforce data entry 
• Hands-on experience in grassroots community organizing and social justice initiatives
• Opportunity to practice written and spoken Spanish in a professional environment and interacting with native speakers
• Experience working in a nationally recognized non­profit organization that serves the immigrant community in Maryland

Interested candidates should email their resume to Shannon Wilk de Benitez, Director of Education, at swilk@wearecasa.org.