Posted on: September 23, 2024
This month we wanted to shine a light on a charity whose mission is to help adults in Manchester to read. We reached out to their Recruiter, Matt Smith from Read Easy Manchester Central & North to hear about their volunteer-led charity that provides confidential 1-2-1 coaching for adults in Manchester that struggle to read.
How long have you been going?
Read Easy UK is the national charity and has been going since 2011. We are an affiliated organisation of volunteers serving the borough of Manchester and we have been going since August 2021.
What has been the greatest reward since being with the charity?
Our greatest reward without question is seeing our clients acquire a new life-skill as an adult. Learning to read makes such a difference to peoples’ lives. Illiteracy causes withdrawal, isolation and a loss of self-esteem. As our readers learn to read, they grow in confidence and see the many opportunities they had missed in the past. Not just with improved employment prospects but in social engagement and increased self-assurance gained by freeing themselves of the burden of illiteracy.
Our coaches benefit too from being part of this transformation. An hour per week is a small outlay for such a rich reward.
How can people get involved?
We need people across Manchester to volunteer with us to be trained as reading coaches. Any competent reader can be a coach. No previous experience is necessary and there are no pre-requisites except patience and the desire to help another gain an important life-skill.
We provide the training and the textbooks, and we support the reader and their coach throughout their journey together.
If you feel you want to help but you think coaching is not for you, we also need people to help on the Management/Support team, there are many roles available. Speak to us and we will find a place on the team for you.
If you want to volunteer with Read Easy, or you want to hear more without making a commitment, write to Matt Smith our Volunteer Recruiter at this email address: mcnrecruiter2@readeasy.org.uk
Any big things happening within your charity in the next month you’d like to shout about?
Nothing particular is happening this month just more routine meetings of our readers and coaches as they work together supported by Read Easy to give the reader the life-changing skill-set of being able to read.
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