English Around the World
What is English Around the World?
"English Around the World," is a volunteer-driven initiative facilitating English language education across borders. Our program provides a platform for individuals passionate about teaching to connect with learners globally, fostering language proficiency and cultural exchange. Volunteers can connect with learners from various backgrounds, all from the convenience of their own homes. Whether you're experienced at teaching English, eager to make a difference, or even not proficient in another language, there's a place for you in our community. No previous teaching experience is needed, and all are welcome. We use English Connect to design our lesson plans, and we rely on having many volunteers to make teaching more personal and impactful for learners.
How do I get involved?
BECOME A VOLUNTEER
Volunteer Description: Volunteers will meet virtually with non-English speaking students and will help them improve their English skills.
Volunteer Commitment: The group meets every Saturday at 9:30 - 11:15 a.m. in the Y-Serve office (WSC 2330). Those who speak Mandarin, Japanese, and Cantonese have an additional meeting Thursday 8:00 p.m. also in the Y-Serve office.
Step 1
Please email eatw@byu.edu before attending the weekly meetings. Contact information for the Executive Director can be found under the "Contact Us" section.
Step 2
Training: Please complete this mandatory 25-minute Minor Protection Training. If you are not a student employee, then email your NetID to yserve@byu.edu to request access to the training.
Then, become familiar with how to Report Your Service Hours
Supplementary Material
BECOME A LEADER
This program is looking for program directors that speak a language other than Spanish or Mandarin.
Volunteer Leader Description: There are two kinds of leadership positions: Lead Program Director and Program Director. A program only has one Lead Program Director, but multiple Program Directors. Leaders are generally responsible for overseeing recruitment, retention, and reflection with volunteers. They also coordinate service with community partners and ensure their program runs smoothly. Volunteer leaders may also share the responsibilities of volunteers as outlined in the Volunteer Description. For more information, visit our section called Be a Leader!
Volunteer Leader Commitment: In addition to volunteering, Volunteer leaders commit to a 1-hour monthly team meeting to discuss needs and make plans for the program. Apply to become a leader by completing the application below:
Contact Info
When I first started at BYU, I felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of ways to get involved. I decided that including service in my extracurricular activities was important to me, but I hesitated to commit too much time. I remember walking into the Y Serve office and meeting the one (and then only) director of English Around the World, the program that most caught my attention because I felt I could contribute with my language abilities. From there, I hesitantly joined as program director of Spanish teaching, and I have been amazed at how rewarding service has been and how much the program is growing. To this day I am grateful for the leap of faith I took and continue to take to bless others with my talents and abilities.
This semester, I've taught English to a man who lives in Brazil. He told me that his company was just acquired; if he doesn't learn English, he can lose his job. After just 2 lessons, he said he's learned more than at 4 months of an expensive English school. For this man, learning English was about providing for his wife and 3 little girls. I feel so grateful for the tiny service I can give to him! Thank you so much for giving me this chance to serve and feel Christ's love enter my heart.
I had invited several of my mission friends to learn English in our program. I didn't really expect anyone to show up with that one invitation, but I decided to do it anyways. Three of the people I invited came to our English lesson that weekend, and it was so fun to see them. It reminded me that our little efforts can yield big results when we do them with faith.