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ILI

The International Language Institute of Massachusetts (ILI) promotes intercultural understanding and diverse communities by providing high-quality language instruction and teacher training.

You are here: Home / News / April is Volunteer Appreciation Month!

April 21, 2021

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month!

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month!

The past twelve months have been full of challenges: the pandemic rearranged our lives, interrupted our interactions, and enveloped the day-to-day with new anxieties and worries.  And yet, through all of these challenges, the amazing team of ILI volunteers had the energy and drive to devote time each week to help support ILI’s students, programs and services.

We at ILI are grateful beyond words for our volunteers’ dedication and commitment to volunteering with us throughout the pandemic.  From the new and continuing tutors who took the plunge into Zoom meetings, to the new volunteers helping with social media and document translations – thank you!

It’s no secret to us that volunteer tutors and in-class teaching assistants play a special role in the lives of students learning English.  In small group and one-on-one settings, tutors can give personalized attention to learners in the form of language support and also by offering insights into life and customs in the US.  Tutors also play an important role in building learners’ confidence on their English learning journey.  Some of the diverse activities and topics in recent tutorials include:

  • talking about holidays such as Ramadan, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, Aid el adha
  • preparing for the MA driving test and permit test
  • sharing favorite recipes and talking about how they’re prepared
  • sitting outside together and talking about traffic vocabulary
  • reviewing past, present and future tenses
  • using the phrase “going to”
  • practicing pronunciation, reading and writing sight words
  • describing pictures from the news
  • comparing and contrasting the American school system with school systems in other countries
  • exploring idioms

It’s also no secret to us that the volunteers sharing their skills and talents with social media and translating documents are also integral to helping smoothly run the day-to-day operations.

Happy National Volunteer Month –  we see you and thank you for all your contributions!

By: Laura Robinson, Volunteer Tutor Coordinator and ESOL Instructor

Article by ILI Staff / News

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  • Massachusetts State Senator Jo Comerford visits ILI October 17, 2022

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Students in ILI’s Intensive English Program visi Students in ILI’s Intensive English Program visited the Northampton Police station yesterday. Students asked Officer Lauren Bolduc questions about topics from animal control to traffic to violent crime to the job of a cop. The tour took us to every corner of the station from the detention center to the evidence room to Chief Jody D. Kasper in her office. Thanks NPD for an unforgettable experience. ⭐️

#ili #internationallanguageinstitute #massachusetts #northampton #northamptonpd @northamptonmapd #studentlife #iep #intensiveenglishprogram #english #languagelearning #community #ialc #ialcschools
Congratulations to new U.S. citizen Ayça! ✨ Ori Congratulations to new U.S. citizen Ayça! ✨ Originally from Turkey, Ayça studied with us in 2016 and then received a Master’s in Communications and Information Management at @bay_path (ILI university pathway partner). Now she is Director of Marketing and Communications at the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley. 

#ili #internationallanguageinstitute #congratulations #studentlife #congratulations #citizenship #northampton
“Music is the universal language of mankind.” “Music is the universal language of mankind.”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

ILI English and French instructor, Josh Owsley is also a musician! He will be playing bass with @landownerband tonight at @thedrakeamherst . 🎶Hope to see you there!

📸Photo by @vagabundodeltiempo 

#ili #internationallanguageinstitute #massachusetts #northampton #landowner #livemusic #teacherfeature #thedrakeamherst  #community
Congratulations 🎉 to our graduates  Jeffrey ( Congratulations 🎉 to our graduates  Jeffrey (Peru), Azhar (Kazakhstan), Ruveyda (Turkey), Andrei (Russia) and Yasemin (Turkey). Every month we have an international potluck to celebrate our graduates. You might have seen Azhar’s cakes before, but the cake that she made, as you will say, is truly over the top! We are sad to say goodbye to the students, but excited about the next steps that they will be taking in their lives.

Cake by @_azhar_bakery 

#ili #internationallanguageinstitute #massachusetts #northampton #studentlife #azharbakery #potluck #education #internationalstudents #ialc #ialclanguages
“We must risk everything for the raw recipe of o “We must risk everything for the raw recipe of our passion” 

We had such an engaging afternoon at @parlorroommusic with ILI Board Member + former president of @gccgreenfield Bob Pura. Bob led a reading and discussion of his new book The Community’s College: The Pursuit of Democracy, Economic Development, and Success, which he co-wrote with Dr. Tara L. Parker. Audience members also got the chance to learn more about the process behind the creation of the book. 

Thank you for joining us! 📚

#ili #internationallanguageinstitute #massachusetts #bobpura #authorevent #reading #discussion #communitycollege #thecommunityscollege #northampton
Today Bob Pura and Tara Parker read from and lead Today Bob Pura and Tara Parker read from and lead a discussion of their book The Community’s College: The Pursuit of Democracy, Economic Development, and Success! 📚 Join us at @parlorroommusic at 2pm. 

In their book, The Community’s College: The Pursuit of Democracy, Economic Development, and Success, co-authors Dr. Robert L. Pura and Dr. Tara L. Parker explore the extraordinary impact of this country’s community colleges on people, communities, and our democratic traditions.

As the book’s foreword by Lynn Pasquerella, President of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, states: "[T]he analysis offered by Dr. Pura and Dr. Parker unveils how community colleges—distinctively American institutions—are more essential than ever to fulfilling our nation's historic mission of educating for democracy."

Pura, a member of the ILI board of directors, retired in 2018 as president of Greenfield Community College after 17+ years in that position. Parker is the recently appointed Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at UMass Boston.
 
#thecommunityscollege #authorevent #ili #bobpura #taraparker #theparlorroom #northampton #community
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