Thanks for volunteering for our Culture and Conversation opportunities in February 2021.  These virtual events will help middle school students from Showa Junior-Senior High School in Tokyo, Japan (https://en.jhs.swu.ac.jp) practice their English with native speakers, give them the ability to ask questions about life in America, history, or art, and see the interior of an American home.  I'm so thankful for your willingness to volunteer with our students - and excited about the opportunity to introduce our students to folks living in different areas of the country.  This never would have been possible with an in-person program, and I believe that the student experience will be enriched with your participation.  

If you have never volunteered with our middle school students before, we are happy to have you involved!  Please know that while their English language ability may be limited, their enthusiasm and nervousness are off the charts.  

 The list below includes all available opportunities. Let me tell you more about each kind:

Conversation Nights:  You will be paired with a group of 3-5 students.  During this approximately 50 minute conversation, you will be in a Zoom breakout room, where you can have a free-flowing conversation.  We will provide some suggested topics, but there are no formal learning outcomes for this event.  

Virtual Home tour:  One of the bigger differences between how people live, is where they live.  This is often a basis for many questions we get from our students, and something that we offer to them when our program is in-person.  Due to the virtual nature of this, we are trying to recreate this experience and facilitate some discussion around this area.  These "home visits" are essentially you, with your cell phone or webcam, taking a group of students around your house.  Feel free to include any other individual in your house (including pets!).  Students may ask you questions about your home, and you can follow it up with a discussion about other homes in your neighborhood, or asking them questions about their homes.

Feel free to sign up for more than one, if your schedule allows.  Once I have a list of volunteers, I will send out more detailed information.  If you have any questions, or would like to talk more prior to completing the form, please reach out via email: holeary@showaboston.edu.