YMCA Literacy Initiative

Program Overview

YMCA Literacy Initiative works to strengthen our community by providing 40+ hour literacy programs at no cost. Volunteer tutors and paid instructors serve around 200 adult learners per year in one of two main programs: Adult Reading and English as a Second Language.

Adult Reading:

• We offer one-on-one instruction with a Reading tutor to help you achieve student's goals. Tutors and adult students usually meet twice a week and work on reading strategies. This is provided free of charge to the community.

Financial Literacy:

• We offer in person and online English for Speakers of Other Languages classes. Levels offered: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. All students must take a Pre and Post test and attend a minimum of 40 or more hours. Spots are limited, first come, first served. Once a class is full students will be added to a waiting list. Students who miss 3 or more classes will be dropped from the program and a new student will be added into that spot. Registration is open all year long and is required.
• One-on-One instruction with tutors is also available.

Students and Community Members are also invited to participate in our Friday Conversation classes were students can join us to proactive their English/Reading skills with our community volunteers.

In partnership with Piedmont Federal Savings Bank we have also started to offer Financial Literacy.

Cost Info

Student and Volunteer Success Stories

A student from our program received his citizenship in 2023 and he continues to be in our program in our ESL classes. He also volunters in helping volunteers learn Spanish.

Dear Colleagues and Tutors,

I am overjoyed to share with you my journey of becoming an American citizen. I came to this country in September 2015, with the dream of reuniting with my family. My three children live here, they studied and got married in this country.

I left behind my country, my friends, my roots, but I know that many of you can relate to that. We travel looking for better opportunities and we almost always succeed.

As I settled here, I found the chance to learn the language of this country at the YMCA. It was a challenging language for me, but I also had a strong motivation: to become an American citizen, a proud member of this nation. That was my goal and I pursued it with determination.

I achieved this goal on July 24, 2023.

I couldn't have done it without the support of my amazing English classmates, the wonderful tutors that we have. I want to mention some of them, but they are all generous and kind: Nury, Gitte, Anne, Lynn, Jack, Alberto, and especially Mary L, who helped me with the citizenship process. She gave me her time, her knowledge and her encouragement.

The fellowship here is fantastic. I have been able to enjoy it for almost six years by attending the different activities that the program offers to us.

Oscar P.