We are looking for people who enjoy literature and people to join us as Coordinators for our programs in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virtually -
Our highly successful program - developed over 50 years ago by our founder Sarah Hirschman and facilitated in nearly the same manner today - is described below:
Approximately 15 adults or young adults gather around a table or sit in a circle for eight, 90-minute sessions to hear and discuss short stories either in English or in Spanish.
In each program, a trained coordinator reads aloud a literary short story. The oral reading cuts across the various reading levels in the group and creates an atmosphere of shared experience. Following the reading, the coordinator facilitates a vibrant discussion on the poetics, tensions/contrasts, ambiguities and issues found within the text.
Participants draw upon their experiences and acquired knowledge to discuss the stories, discovering that their life experience has, in fact, prepared them to understand and examine complex literary art.
To Become a Coordinator:
1. Complete and submit our Volunteer Application
2. Interview either virtually or in person with us
3. Participate in at least one free "Try It" session(s) (these are found on our website www.peopleandstories.org/upcoming-events)
4. Participate in Two-Part Coordinator Training Workshop in October
Commitment:
-We work with your schedule as often as possible!
-We require that you participate in all trainings and refreshers (as recommended)
-Your time commitment per 8-week session is approximately 2 hours on-site and to start approximately 3 hours per week in prep time.
-You may provide as few as one or as many as five 8-week sessions per year, depending upon availability
-Once all training is successfully completed, you will receive a generous hourly stipend for each program you facilitate
UPCOMING COORDINATOR TRAINING WORKSHOP
Two-Part Coordinator Training Workshop will take place on Saturday October 28 and Sunday October 29 from 10am to 4pm
The training will be held at Lawrence Community Center, 295 Eggerts Crossing Road in Lawrenceville, NJ.
Click here to complete our volunteer application https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf9GLqpkdeGT1L2rc1ASNwe3fBUfbFnOzoAFvMRvL4-42srCA/viewform
ABOUT PEOPLE & STORIES/GENTE Y CUENTOS:
People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos (P&S/GyC) is dedicated to opening doors to literature for new audiences. Through oral readings and rigorous discussions of enduring short stories, we invite participants to find fresh understandings of themselves, of others, and of the world.
People and Stories/Gente y Cuentos is located at 295 Eggerts Crossing Road, Lawrenceville, NJ and is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. by appointment. Most programs are held at partner sites and other locations. For more information, call 609-882-4926 or visit www.peopleandstories.org/ upcoming-events or https://peopleandstories.org/get-involved/volunteer for volunteer information
295 EGGERTS CROSSING RD, LAWRENCE TWP, NJ 08648, US
People & Stories/Gente y Cuentos (P&S/GyC) is dedicated to opening doors to literature for new audiences. Through oral readings and rigorous discussions of enduring short stories, we invite participants to find fresh understandings of themselves, of others, and of the world. Our programs, offered in English and Spanish, use oral readings and structured dialogues of complex short stories to invite participants to connect their own varied life experiences to the universal themes found in great literature. Now in its 50th year, our program methodology effectively removes obstacles to the rewards of reading, especially for adults and young adults who identify as not having the skill, confidence, or motivation to read independently.
Our Founder, Sarah Hirschman, was born in Lithuania into a Russian Jewish family and educated in France and the United States. A reader fluent in several languages, she was always interested in the reception of literature by groups of different cultural backgrounds. After a five year stay in Colombia and work with urban community groups and development projects, she started People & Stories / Gente y Cuentos in Spanish in 1972 in Massachusetts. She developed a methodology that has effectively connected more than 40,000 lives to literature, with trained coordinators conducting programs in both English and Spanish in various parts of the United States as well as in Argentina.
Read more about Sarah’s award-winning life and the history of People & Stories in this Town Topics article . And, enjoy a tribute to her legacy in our Spring 2012 newsletter
Today, our programs continue to reach youth, adults, and seniors in diverse social service agencies-including residential treatment facilities, prisons, homeless shelters, adult education programs, libraries, senior centers, and alternative schools-on local, regional, and national levels.
295 Eggerts Crossing RoadLawrenceville, NJ 08648, NJ 08648
August 8, 2023