October | VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER | 2026

Global Diversity Awareness Month reminds us that our strength lies in welcoming diverse perspectives, cultures, and stories. At Literacy Source, fostering an inclusive space where everyone can achieve their educational goals is at the heart of everything we do.

This month, we’re shining a light on digital equity and the vital role it plays in adult literacy. In today’s connected world, digital skills are essential for accessing information, finding employment, communicating with loved ones, and navigating everyday life. Yet, not everyone has equal access to the technology, tools, and support needed to participate fully.

At Literacy Source, our volunteers help bridge this gap by empowering adult learners to build both their literacy and digital confidence. Whether you’re helping a learner navigate a website, send an email, complete an online application, or access educational resources, your support helps build self-reliance and independence.

Digital equity is about far more than having a device or an internet connection—it’s about ensuring that everyone has the skills, opportunities, and agency to use technology in meaningful ways. Through your patience, encouragement, and dedication, you make technology more accessible and learning more inclusive for everyone.

Thank you for the time and care you bring to our learners. Every question answered, skill practiced, and milestone reached brings us one step closer to a more digitally inclusive community.

As you explore this month’s newsletter, we hope you’ll find inspiration, helpful resources, and new ways to support learners on their digital literacy journeys. Together, we can help ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn, connect, and thrive.

With Gratitude,

Sawyer Auer 

As we wrap up Digital Inclusion Week and observe Cybersecurity Awareness Month this month you—our dedicated tutors and classroom volunteers—are on the front lines of helping learners navigate an increasingly digital world. We know our students may be asking for guidance on internet and phone safety: from identifying scam texts and phishing emails to evaluating unfamiliar websites. By building simple safety routines into classes and tutoring sessions, such as double-checking suspicious links and practicing healthy password habits, we empower learners to explore technology with confidence rather than fear.

At the same time, tools powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI)—like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Copilot, or Claude—are rapidly entering daily life and learning spaces. Unlike a traditional search engine that simply points you to existing websites, generative AI tools create brand-new text, draft letters, or generate answers on the spot. Literacy Source’s Academic Integrity and AI Policy encourages learners to leverage digital tools thoughtfully while safeguarding space for independent practice and "productive struggle." For volunteers, tutors, and higher-level learners exploring these AI tools to brainstorm or outline, the CRAFT Prompting Framework offers a structured approach to guide the technology with intention and prevent confusing guesses or inaccuracies:

• C – Context: Set the scene with specific background details and constraints.
• R – Role: Assign a precise persona (e.g., "Act as a senior ESOL curriculum designer").
• A – Action: State the primary task with a clear, active verb (e.g., Synthesize, Outline, Draft).
• F – Format: Specify the layout (e.g., numbered list, bullet points, table).
• T – Tone: Define the voice and style while noting any language or jargon to avoid.

Ultimately, digital inclusion means equipping learners with the critical-thinking skills to decide when to lean on digital tools and when to practice independently. Whether you are helping a student spot an online scam, establish a "wait and think" routine before using Google Translate, or cite an AI-assisted draft, your guidance bridges the gap between digital access and true digital empowerment. Check out our ground rules slides and Purdue OWL for classroom-ready resources on academic integrity. For those looking to dive deeper into emerging tech in adult education, the COABE AI Virtual Summit provides practical sessions on AI integration and equity, along with presentation slides and available recordings.

Points for Reflection & Consideration:

• What internet or phone safety questions have your learners raised recently, and how did you talk through them together in class or in your sessions?
• How can you introduce a gentle "wait and think" routine before reaching for translation tools to encourage productive struggle?
• If your learners use AI or digital assistants, how might you help them reflect on their process and maintain their own authentic voice?

Tips for Extending an Activity

You still have five more minutes before you should wind down your tutoring session. Your student breezed through that last activity. In class, one student is finished while all the others are still working. How can you add just a little more challenge? 

A few strategies for extending an activity: 

• Ask, “Why?” Ask the student to explain their thought process. This encourages critical thinking and provides the student another opportunity to produce language. 
• Tell me more about…. You can prompt the student to say/write more about an answer.  Maybe they only gave the answer they felt they could perfectly say/write.  Maybe they can say/write more, just not perfectly.

You can read the full teaching tip here.

Laura Kalmanson, ESOL Instructional Advisor

Literacy Minnesota Trainings:

The Art of Small Group Facilitation (Online)

Wednesday, October 21st 11AM-1PM. Advanced registration required.

Small group work can be one of the most effective ways to increase student engagement and language practice, but facilitating a group isn't always easy. Volunteers are often asked to lead discussions, support practice activities, or facilitate group work. Balancing participation among learners with different personalities, confidence levels, and language skills can be tricky, but a few simple strategies can make a big difference. 

This webinar will provide practical strategies for facilitating productive small groups, encouraging meaningful student talk time, and creating opportunities for every learner to participate. Participants will leave with techniques they can immediately use to foster engagement and communication in any classroom setting. 

Please note that you may be asked to participate in discussion groups during the webinar. Please plan to join us from a quiet setting where you can see the PowerPoint slides and use your audio.

Register here. 

Let Routines Set You Free: The Power of Predictability in Adult EL Instruction Presented by Andrea Echelberger (Online)

Friday, October 23 11AM-1PM, Advanced registration required.

Effective classroom routines do more than streamline instruction—they build academic skills, foster a supportive learning community, and empower students to take ownership of their learning. In this session, participants will explore practical, research-backed routines that enhance engagement, promote language development, and create a structured yet flexible environment. Through real-world examples and interactive discussions, teachers will leave with concrete strategies to implement routines that boost student confidence, participation, and long-term success. 

Please note that you may be asked to participate in discussion groups during the webinar. Please plan to join us from a quiet setting where you can see the PowerPoint slides and use your audio. 

Register here.

Congratulations and thank you to these volunteers who have achieved a year of service! We are so appreciative of all your hard work and dedication to Literacy Source.

• Colleen Kelly – ABE Tutor  
• Dora Chan – Conversation Circle Class Assistant  
• Elizabeth Brammer – Class Assistant  
• Fiona Scheer – ESOL 1 Class Assistant  
• Melanie Du – ESOL 3 Class Assistant  
• Phyllis Tu – ESOL Tutor 
• Xialin Ding – ESOL Tutor  

Bunny

Staff: Sarah McCormick

All the Water in the World

Staff: Shira Rosen

The Painted Veil

Staff: Katherine VanHenley

Dungeon Crawler Carl

Staff: Darlene Lytle

You Nest Here with Me

Staff: Allie Azersky

Breakfast with Buddha

Staff: Jennifer Barron

Benaroya Hall Open House: A Free Community Arts Festival

Sunday, October 18, 2026, 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM (Benaroya Hall, FREE)

Celebrating its first major makeover since opening in 1998, Benaroya Hall hosts a free, day-long festival to unveil its newly redesigned community and performance spaces. The celebration features an eclectic lineup throughout the building, including the Resounding Love Inspirational Choir, indie-pop duo Chinese American Bear performing alongside Seattle Symphony musicians, a Pacific Northwest author panel, video game composers, and youth sets from Totem Star. The festivities culminate in a 4:00 PM headline concert pairing the Seattle Symphony with members of indie folk-rock band The Head and The Heart. All open house activities and exhibits are free with no tickets required; free passes for the 4:00 PM headline concert will be distributed in-person at the hall starting at 9:00 AM on a first-come, first-served basis.

KUOW Book Talks with Author Anne de Marcken

Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM (Seattle Public Library – Central Library, FREE)

Serving as the final live installment of the 2026 KUOW Book Club series, host Katie Campbell interviews Olympia-based author Anne de Marcken about her dark fiction novel, It Lasts Forever and Then It's Over. The story centers on an unnamed, undead protagonist adrift in the afterlife who has lost her memories and pieces of her physical form, yet retains a profound yearning to recover her humanity and reconnect with the memory of a lost love. Accompanied on a journey westward by an opinionated crow nested inside her chest cavity, she navigates a post-apocalyptic, liminal existence. The live conversation will examine the book's philosophical inquiries into mortality, grief, memory, and transformation, offering an early fall discussion tailored to the spooky season.

Seattle Center Festál: Día de Muertos Festival Seattle

Saturday, October 31 – Sunday, November 1, 2026, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Seattle Center – Armory Food & Event Hall, FREE)

Part of the year-round Seattle Center Festál cultural series, this annual two-day community festival explores the rich artistic and spiritual traditions of Mexico’s Día de los Muertos. The event features elaborate, handcrafted community ofrendas (altars), regional Mexican folk dance troupes, live musical performances, and local artisan markets. Attendees can also participate in interactive cultural workshops, including traditional sugar skull decorating and cempasúchil (marigold) paper craft demonstrations.

Our next New Volunteer Orientation (via Zoom) will be on October 6 at either 1pm or 7pm. 

Potential volunteers are invited to register online here. 

Miss any of our past volunteer newsletters? You can access archived newsletters at the bottom of the Volunteer Page of our webpage.