Become a volunteer

We host two orientation meetings a month:

November 12th at 6:00 pm via Zoom

November 14th at 10:00 am via Zoom

December 10th at 6:00 pm via Zoom

December 12th at 10:00 am via Zoom

The orientation meetings last for about 45 minutes to an hour.

We offer tutoring and non-tutoring volunteer opportunities. You can learn more about our volunteer roles here (scroll down to the bottom of the page to find out about non-tutoring opportunities).

All prospective volunteers are invited to an orientation meeting. If you have questions, please email Volunteers@lit-together.org.

Our Ideal Volunteer Tutor

The ideal volunteer tutor is someone seeking to make a one-year commitment of two hours per week to help someone else make the change of a lifetime. For our volunteer tutors, an educational background is helpful but not necessary. The most important qualities are patience, an open mind, and resourcefulness. Tutors also need to be non-judgmental and sensitive to cultural differences. A GED or high school diploma is required. Ideal tutors enjoy seeing concrete outcomes from their efforts and sharing in the life-changing successes of others. See our full tutor position description here.

Learn more about Literacy Together’s volunteer roles

Five Steps to Become a Tutor

1. Contact Literacy Together. Sign up online, call (828)254-3442, or email volunteers@lit-together.org to let us know you are interested in becoming a volunteer. We will get back to you within two business days.

2. Attend orientation. We host two volunteer orientation meetings a month. Sign up online, or send an email to volunteers@lit-together.org .

3. Attend tutor training. Sign up for training at the end of the orientation session. Here you can see the dates of our training.

4. Get matched with a student. The program director for your chosen program will match you with a student or small group of students who correspond to your preferences. The program director will set the date, time, and location of your first meeting. After that, you will schedule your tutoring sessions directly with your student.

5. Start tutoring. Meet with your student(s) for at least two hours per week for a minimum of six months (Adult Literacy GED track), a year (ESOL, Adult Literacy Basic Skills track), and a school year (Youth Literacy). Share your success stories with us, and attend periodic in-service training to freshen up your skills.

Testimonials from people who participated in the orientation meetings:

“I loved the stories that were shared of how volunteers enhanced the lives of adults and children through tutoring. I am excited to contribute to developing children’s literary skills, as I am quite passionate about literature. ~ Lauren

“I was surprised to learn about the number of people in Buncombe County who cannot read.” Carol

“I was surprised by many of the statistics about literacy rates and had not considered just how strongly literacy is linked to poverty and family history. All the more eager to help!” ~Karen

“The statistics shown were very important, especially about gaps in literacy levels between black and white students.” ~ Nadia

” I did not know that you could volunteer internationally. That is great!” ~ Eric

Read success stories!

Find out more about our four programs by watching this video:

Equity underlies everything we do. We serve immigrants, low-wealth, and disadvantaged individuals of every age. We know that literacy is the primary determinant of health, employment, income levels, and constructive self-expression. In 2017, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that sixty percent of children nationwide are not reading proficiently. Without intervention children who do not read proficiently become adults with low literacy and the cycle continues. Our one-on-one and small group tutoring is free and based on students’ schedules, making it accessible to those who would otherwise be unable to afford or attend traditional classroom settings.

Literacy Together is committed to providing access to everyone interested in engaging with us. Our website can be translated into multiple languages and can also be adjusted to accommodate readers with limited vision. We have staff who are fluent in Spanish and Russian. Although our offices are located in an older building with stairs, we have alternative meeting space available if visitors call ahead to let us know when they will arrive.