By: Sean Gilligan, Refugee Services Manager of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Green Bay
Catholic Charities Refugee Integration Services is excited to announce that our English Language Learning and Citizenship Preparation programs are officially underway! Our first cohort of six brave tutors is currently in the onboarding process and will soon be paired with learners. Tutors have received initial training, resources, and a curriculum to guide their lessons, while learners have received books and other materials to facilitate their learning.
The next step is for learners and tutors to meet, establish learning goals, and create a plan to meet once or twice a week — in homes, the library, or other community spaces — based on the needs of each pair. Throughout the process, tutors will receive ongoing support from our experienced case management team, ensuring they stay focused on what matters most: learning English, preparing for citizenship, and forging connections.
We could not be more thankful to those who have volunteered, and we are excited for the journey of discovery, frustration, and change that lies ahead as they begin their work of empowering our refugee neighbors. While traditional classroom options exist in the area, they aren’t always accessible for many refugees who are balancing the responsibilities of work, parenting, and just getting by.
One-on-one tutoring offers learners the flexibility to meet in the comfort of spaces they know, on a schedule that works for them. Our learners might be physicians from Venezuela, looking for the skills they need to return to the work they know in the community they now call home. They might be Afghan soldiers, still searching for what life after war can look like, but knowing it begins with English. They might be Congolese mothers getting their hands on their first book. Every individual is unique, full of gifts, and their learning experience should be too.
There is nothing quite as intimate, meaningful, and powerful as language. One-on-one tutoring allows volunteers to put themselves right in the middle of it all, directly into the messy fray of expression, agency, and identity as individuals find their voice in the complex language we call English.
If you or someone you know is interested in taking on the challenge of welcoming newcomers to our community and our language, reach out to our volunteer coordinator, Halle Beranek, at 920-272-8323 or visit our website at catholiccharitiesgb.org/volunteer.
If you’d like to learn more before making a decision, Refugee Services Manager Sean Gilligan would be happy to speak with you. He can be reached at 920-272-8242.