Frequently Asked Questions:

No. Paid speaking classes are not one of Litera's objectives.

While this has certainly always been one of Litera's goals, given the current volunteer availability and the overwhelming demand for our outreach programs, we are not able to host such private sessions at this time. However, we encourage teachers interested in such sessions to have their students sign up for the appropriate speaking club offering for their age group and level, and remain on Litera's mailing list for email updates regarding when Litera may be expanding our offerings.

Unfortunately, Litera cannot offer one-on-one sessions at this time due to demand, volunteer availability, and current policies of Cornell University.

Given the virtual nature of the program and the speaking club participant maximum of 10 learners, we ask that each registered participant utilize their own computer and Zoom account. This ensures that all participants and the speaking club leader will be able to hear each other clearly and see each other's names clearly.

The weekly sign up forms will be sent to speaking club email list recipients on Fridays before the scheduled outreach week between approximately 8:00 pm and 11:30 pm Kyiv time.

You do not have to physically be in Ukraine to participate. However, since the bulk of our learners are physically located in Ukraine, the program times and logistics are designed to best serve these individuals.

Yes! As long as there are spots available on the sign up form for the clubs you wish to attend, you are welcome to participate in multiple clubs per week.

No worries at all! Please remove your name from the sign up sheet if possible, and we will hope to see you at another week's speaking club!

Since the speaking clubs are specifically designed to encourage English speaking practice amongst participants, we strongly encourage our participants to use English whenever they can. However, each speaking club is tailored to the English proficiency of its participants, and all participants should always feel free to ask questions during the sessions that will help their learning.

The conversation topics of each club are announced on the sign up sheet each week, and the speaking club leader is responsible for keeping the session on topic. The speaking club leader may also choose to host interactive activities during the session to further encourage speaking practice. These may include (but are not limited to): * Role playing scenarios (e.g., ordering food at a restaurant, purchasing clothing or food at a market, a job interview, etc.) * Vocabulary and phrase introductions and repetition * Describing images or drawing discussion games * Storytelling And more!

No! However, you must be affiliated with a college or university to volunteer. You will be asked to verify your university affiliation upon filling out the volunteer interest form (linked on the "For Volunteers") page.

Volunteers hoping to lead an adult speaking club must be over the age of 18. Basic proficiency in Ukrainian or Russian is not required, although it is strongly preferred. Volunteers hoping to lead a children's speaking club must be over the age of 18 and officially certified by Cornell University to work with minors. Please contact Litera leadership directly if you would like to be considered for this opportunity. Volunteers hoping to participate in one of Litera's partnerships must be over the age of 18 and meet any additional requirements set forth by the partner organization. The current partner organizations and their requirements are listed below: * Project Kesher's WOnder School: ** Must be female. ** Must have basic Ukrainian speaking proficiency.