emily's blog

ESOL Classes at LWB full

2008-09-05T04:10:10Z

With 94 students enrolled, our ESOL classes at Lakewood Baptist Church are full. The next enrollment session for new students will be Monday, Oct 6, 6-8pm. Enrollment remains open in our classes at the Main Library and East Regional Library (High Beginner level).

ESOL Classes begin Sept 2

2008-08-29T06:40:18Z

ESOL classes at Lakewood Baptist Church, our main classroom site, begin on Sept 2. Classes at Durham County Library (Main and East Regional branch) begin the following week. See our Fall 2008 Class Schedule for details.

Labor Day Holiday

2008-08-29T06:37:15Z

Durham Literacy Center will be closed on Monday, Sept 1 for Labor Day.

Missed our Volunteer Orientations?

2008-08-19T06:54:35Z

It's not too late to volunteer this fall!You can still sign up for next week's Tutor Trainings (August 18, 20, 23). Please read more about our volunteer opportunities and contact volunteer@durhamliteracy.org to get started.

Enrolling ESOL Students Soon

2008-08-12T06:35:13Z

Registration for our Fall 2008 ESOL classes begins on August 25! Students may enroll by attending any of the registration sessions offered from August 25 - September 4 and taking a placement test. Please see our Fall 2008 ESOL Class Schedule for times and locations.

Volunteer with us in Fall 2008

2008-08-01T09:06:48Z

Mahatma Gandhi said: You must be the change you want to see in this world. Be the change! Help empower your neighbors by making sure everyone in our community is literate. Find out how to help by attending one of our upcoming volunteer orientations on Aug 4th, 6th, or 11th from 6-7pm at Lakewood Baptist Church. (For a preview, see our Volunteer webpage).

Book Drive for DLC

2008-06-11T03:48:22Z

Starting Friday, June 13, Waldenbooks in Northgate Mall will a hold a book drive for DLC, allowing customers to purchase books that will be donated directly to DLC. Customers will be able to select books from a list of those that would be most useful for DLC students. Thanks, Waldenbooks!

Work with DLC next year!

2008-05-30T02:03:51Z

Although we hate to say goodbye to Regina, Robin, and Steve, it's time to start looking for three new AmeriCorps Members to join us next year!DLC has three full-time, yearlong AmeriCorps positions available from Aug/Sept. 2008 – Aug. 2009 through SCALE (Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education). This is a wonderful opportunity to work closely with Durham’s diverse cultures and to gain experience in nonprofit management as you learn more about running community-based education programs.
To apply, please send resume and cover letter to jobs@durhamliteracy.org. Please specify which program you’re interested in working with (see Job Descriptions for details).

ESOL Summer Classes

2008-05-28T06:45:21Z

In June, we'll continue to offer ESOL classes in the evenings at Lakewood Baptist Church (Monday - Thursday, 6:30-8:30pm). Classes begin on June 2 and end on June 26. We'll also offer a multilevel daytime class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings (10am-12pm), starting on Tues., June 10 and lasting through the summer. New students may enroll by attending the first class session.
For details, see Summer 2008 ESOL classes.

TCA Graduation

2008-05-21T06:09:15Z

The Teen Career Academy at the Durham Literacy Center will celebrate the many accomplishments of its talented 2007-2008 at a graduation and awards ceremony on Friday, May 30th. Open to the public, the ceremony will take place at the John Avery Boys and Girls Club (808 E. Pettigrew St. in Durham) from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. A tuition-free program designed to help out-of-school youth aged 16-18 attain their North Carolina General Equivalency Diploma (GED) and/or improve basic educational and literacy skills, TCA helped nearly 40 students this past school year. The program will honor hardworking current students, dedicated tutors, and 10 GED graduates. The keynote speaker will be Durham native Josh Parker. For more information about graduation or the program in general, please contact Malcom Reed at malcom@durhamliteracy.org or 919-323-6039.

Education, Access, & Politics

2008-05-16T07:45:27Z

Dear friends - I've been wondering all week what to do about NC Community College System's decision not to admit undocumented students to degree programs (besides getting mad & discouraged).
Even though the literacy work we do is meant to empower people who are systematically dis-empowered, I'm constantly surprised at how tangled education and politics become for us. I've been reluctant to post politically-themed blog entries, knowing that DLC supporters may have a range of beliefs, but it becomes increasingly hard to separate our work from the climate that surrounds it.
I'm glad that NC has some wonderful advocacy organizations, like Adelante, who are
organizing responses to the community colleges' decision. Following their suggestions, I plan to write some letters in support of open access to public education in NC.Here's to thoughtful & creative approaches to education -

Spring Celebration - May 29!

2008-05-21T07:48:27Z

Please join us for the annual Spring Celebration on Thursday, May 29, 6-8pm at Lakewood Baptist Church! We'll celebrate the hard work of Adult Literacy and ESOL students and
tutors with a potluck - please bring your family and a dish to share!

We're Redesigning our Website!

2008-05-28T05:57:44Z

We're going to redesign our website, and we want your input!Please take 5 minutes to complete our web survey, letting us know how you use the site and suggesting how we might improve it.Thanks for visiting our site and supporting DLC.

Symposium to Benefit DLC

2008-06-30T01:11:13Z

The 2008 John Hope Franklin Symposium & Gala honoring the scholarly contributions of living legends will be held June 26 and 27 at The Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club.
The focus of the 2008 symposium will be on the challenges facing Black and Hispanic Males in our society. At the request of Dr. John Hope Franklin, a portion of the proceeds from the symposium will go to support The Durham Literacy Center.
For additional information: http://diverseeducation.com/jhf/schedule.htmland http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2008/06/jhf.html

Volunteers needed for ESOL Program

2008-05-05T08:18:55Z

Are you interested in helping young children develop English language and pre-reading skills? In helping care for infants and toddlers so that their mothers can study English? In teaching ESOL to adult immigrants? Please check out DLC's April 2008 ESOL Volunteer Opportunities, and contact Emily (emily@durhamliteracy.org, 323-5292) if you'd like to help!