Have you been thinking about the new year and the experiences you want to have in 2021? Are you looking for safe ways to connect with and help others, as the pandemic continues? Here’s a suggestion for how to start the year off right: volunteer with BIIN.
It’s not hard to do. You can help others from the safety and comfort of your own home. And you may be surprised by how much you enjoy and learn from the experience.
Currently, all of BIIN’s instructional programs are held online, via Zoom. As long as you have a stable internet connection and a computer, tablet or smartphone, it’s easy to participate. In the interests of building community, volunteers are asked to pick a specific program and to commit to serving once a week for at least six weeks.
Now’s the time to sign up, as all of our online programs are resuming in February:
- Conversational English classes meet on Mondays and Wednesdays, 6 to 8 pm, starting February 1st.
- Allies in Action, our newest program for parents of school-aged children, combines practice in everyday English with basic digital skills that parents need. The program meets on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:30 pm, starting February 3rd.
- Citizenship classes, to prepare applicants for the USCIS naturalization exam and interview, meet on Saturdays (10 am to 12 pm, in English; 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm, in Spanish), starting February 20th.
Each program is led by long-time volunteers with help from BIIN’s interns and staff. To learn more about the roles that volunteers in each program play, take a look at the job descriptions on our “Volunteer Opportunities” page.
If you have any questions, want to sign up for a minimum of six weeks, or have other relevant skills that you would like to offer to BIIN, please contact Director Jaimi Washburn at info@brazosimmigration.com. New volunteers are welcome as spots open up, so if you are interested in joining us later in the year, let us know now.
As a BIIN volunteer, you will have fun, meet new neighbors, and likely learn some things you never knew. You will also have the satisfaction of knowing that you are doing something concrete to make our community a more welcoming place for all.
Here are some glimpses of the reasons why others have chosen to volunteer with BIIN (with thanks to MaryKate Maltsberger, one of our Fall 2020 interns, who worked with the citizenship classes and captured these “volunteer quotes”):
