UNF students now have the opportunity to volunteer with the English Language Program (ELP) and help international students improve their English language skills.

Volunteers will work with ELP students through the new Conversation Partner Program.

“We started the Conversation Partner Program to give [international students] the opportunity to practice English outside the classroom and learn more about American culture while making a new friend,” said Sarah Flaniken, an ELP instructional specialist.

According to Flaniken, The Conversation Partner Program currently has about 20 volunteers but is in need of about 50 to 60 in total.

So how does the volunteer program work?

“Once we get enough volunteers, I will pair each volunteer with one of our ELP students and then they will meet one hour each week throughout the rest of the semester at a time that works for both of them,” said Flaniken.

“They can get coffee, go see a movie, play ultimate Frisbee – it doesn’t really matter as long as they are spending time together and speaking English!”

Students who are interested are encouraged to visit the English Language Program office (Bldg. 14E) or contact Sarah Flaniken at s.flaniken@unf.edu.

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