February Positive Change Recipient – Open Doors English

A Note from GreenStar:  Open Doors English was elected by GreenStar members to be among our twelve 2024 Partners for Change. Open Doors English is February’s Positive Change recipient.

Open Doors English is honored to be featured in February as Greenstar’s Positive Change Recipient.

ODE’s mission is to “offer English classes so that adults can participate fully in community life, advocate and care for themselves and their families, and pursue their goals.” The student body is comprised of immigrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, farm workers, and temporary residents. All students are welcome, and ODE has served 200-300 students per year since opening in 2019.

What we do:

ESL Classes: ODE offers classes four days per week, with morning, afternoon, and evening classes available for beginner, intermediate, and advanced English learners. Most classes are in-person, serving students in Tompkins and neighboring counties.  Some evening classes are virtual in order to serve students who work during the day, don’t have transportation, or who live outside the immediate Ithaca area. Online classes have permitted refugees living in Syracuse/Watkins Glen/northern Pennsylvania, farm workers from neighboring counties, and local students who are caretakers of small children to access services.

Conversation Partner Program: ODE has developed a Conversation Partner Program to pair students with community members for informal English practice. This program facilitates relationship and community building outside the school’s walls and is beloved by students and community members. One student wrote of her experience, “When ODE offered me the opportunity of having a conversation partner, I made my decision in a heartbeat! I’ve been talking to one of my conversation partners by phone every week for almost one month now and with only this few times I am already feeling more confident. [I used to fear] being judged because of my accent and feeling insecure about not understanding what people were saying. But now I am not so afraid anymore.”

Language Cafes: Every other month or so, ODE invites the greater Ithaca community to the school for a “language cafe”. Our students volunteer to speak their home languages with interested community members through casual conversation. We typically have at least five different languages represented. Students also get an opportunity to practice their English, learn more about US culture and the Ithaca community, and make new connections. Community members love the opportunity to meet our students and practice speaking their own 2nd or additional language.

How to get involved:

ODE welcomes community volunteers! Volunteers serve in a variety of settings, including:

• Helping execute events such as fundraising dinners and winter auctions
• Serving as classroom assistants/tutors (ESL classes or in one-on-one or small group settings with students)
• Participating in ODE’s Conversation Partner Program

In addition, partnering with us financially helps sustain our program and impacts the lives of our students in profound ways! To make a gift, visit opendoorsenglish.org

To learn more about ODE, visit opendoorsenglish.org or follow us on Facebook or Instagram. Contact us at esloffice.ode@gmail.com.

Open Doors English is a fiscally-sponsored project of the Center for Transformative Action, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization.