Programs
English classes
We don’t just “teach English” - we transform, inspire, empower, motivate, and support people who are learning how to navigate a culture. It turns out that’s the fastest way to develop fluency in a language. You can become a volunteer or hire Torus to teach at your organization.
Virtual English Classes
We provide free English classes to anyone living in the US, especially immigrant, refugee, and low-income populations residing in the Portland Metro area. Classes are coordinated through WhatsApp and conducted on Zoom.
Real-World English Classes
We offer free English classes to people living in the Portland Metro area. We primarily serve immigrant, refugee, and low-income populations. We provide support in basic understanding and language in the US, like transportation navigation, banking, renting, medical system/insurance, how to make a doctor’s appointment, police interactions, etc.
-
“Hi my name is Rosaura Pineda and my native language is Spanish. I want to learn English because I want to be able to communicate with people, continue to develop in the labor field and better understand American culture and be able to make new friends. I would like to be able to have a fluent conversation with people and understand when unknown people speak to me.
I learned a lot from Torus, especially how to be more confident. I have an incredible teacher who has taught me the language in different ways and we have covered different areas that allow learning to be dynamic and comprehensive. Also interacting with other people has allowed me to speak more without fear of making mistakes because they know that I am learning. I am very happy to be a part of this program and to have the opportunity to learn.
My teacher has taught me the language through writing, reading, listening, and speaking. We cover different topics of interest and they correct my mistakes at the right moment. She is very patient and friendly which makes me feel comfortable and has taught me various strategies that make learning fun and professional at the same time.”
-
Free for learners and volunteers!
To form a partnership to hire Torus to teach virtually at your organization, company, or community, please email: ramin@torustransforms.org
-
The schedule is flexible and is dependent on your and learner’s availability.
-
Minimum 1 month, preferably 3-6 months.
-
Plan lessons by drawing inspiration from weekly topics posted on Better Impact/the Torus WhatsApp group
Participate in 2 other facilitator's classes before being matched with your own learner
Teach 1-2 hours per week + spend 30-60 minutes on prep and reporting
Promptly communicate with all staff members, shadowers, and facilitators via WhatsApp, text, email, or phone
Enthusiastically motivate and gently push learners out of their comfort zone
Keep all class participants engaged
Respond calmly, humorously, and decisively to the challenges that present themselves
-
Training consists of shadowing 2 times and 2 optional ones. We also provide you with eLearning modules that help you learn some practical teaching activities.
For more in-depth training, we can connect you to our partner organization People-Places-Things which provides training for people who are interested in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages as a profession. If you want tips, tricks, or a certificate, check out their programs at pptpdx.com
-
“Hello! My name is Yuliia, I'm from Ukraine. My English was not really good, I couldn't fully understand people when they talked to me and I started attending English courses in Torus. In three months I thoroughly learned the alphabet and I can easily write my first name, last name and address (now it's not scary at all :)), in our lessons I learned a lot of new things, since each of them was unique with a specific topic. Each of the teachers gave us the lesson 100%. Also, each of them became a great friend, with whom it’s not scary to learn new things. Thanks to my English classes, I have made many new friends, and now it’s easy for me to adapt to a new country. Thank you Torus team!” (In-person program participant)
-
Free for learners and volunteers!
To form a partnership to hire Torus to teach at your organization, company, or community, please email: ramin@torustransforms.org
-
Location: Slavic Eastern European Center: 555 SE 99TH AVE, Portland, OR 97216
Dates: from January 23 to April 14, 2023
Days and Times: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 4:30pm to 6:00pm
Levels: Multilevel group class
Location: Multnomah Country Rockwood Library: 17917 SE Stark St, Portland, OR 97233
Dates: from January 23 to April 17, 2023
Days and Times: Mondays from 6pm to 7:30pm, Tuesdays from 2pm to 3:30pm and Wednesdays from 2pm to 3:30pm
Levels: Multilevel group class
-
Minimum 1 month, preferably 3-6 months.
-
Plan lessons by following Torus’ curriculum provided via email.
Participate in 4 other facilitator's classes before being able to teach your first class
Teach 1-2 classes per week + spend 30-60 minutes on prep and reporting
Promptly communicate with all staff members, shadowers, and facilitators via WhatsApp, text, email, or phone
Enthusiastically motivate and gently push learners out of their comfort zone
Keep all class participants engaged
Respond calmly, humorously, and decisively to the challenges that present themselves
-
You must:
Sign up here
Shadow 4 times
Record your shadowing experiences here
Meet with Ramin in-person to go over “Technical Rehearsal”
Teach your first class (Dress Rehearsal)
Enroll into the Torus Transformative Training, or volunteer as an assistant (DJ)
Torus App
(In development for its second iteration)
SECOND ITIRETATION (Images below): The Torus application serves as a comprehensive platform, harmoniously integrating the three pivotal elements of our operations: learners, volunteers, and the dynamic interaction amongst them and our staff. This multifaceted tool is designed to foster a seamless and efficient workflow, enhancing our collective productivity and engagement. Among many features, it will have culturally and linguistically responsive teaching tools. For example, quizzes, translation feature for 6 most common languages spoken in Oregon (Dari, Russian, Ukrainian, Mandarin, Spanish and Vietnamese), grammar correction feature, AI integration, and a messaging feature designed to help learners seamlessly communicate with their teachers and Torus staff. Our app will help our immigrants and refugees who are learning English by giving them more practice in English skills (both grammar and conversational) through relevant real-world modules. We are proposing modules that will be targeted to studying and practicing for citizenship and driving tests addressing immediate needs and long-term goals, both of which open new doors for opportunities to immigrant and refugee communities.
FIRST ITIRETATION (No longer available): Between January 2021, and October 2023, Torus app was a multilingual resource to help find comprehensive information about COVID-19 in multiple languages. The content was translated into Dari, Russian, and Thai and was written in simplified English for increased accessibility. The app was featured on Oregon Health Authority website here. For its second iteration the app will transform into a comprehensive platform, harmoniously integrating the three pivotal elements of our operations: learners, volunteers, and the dynamic interaction amongst them and our staff.
Language Fairs
Torus language fair is an effective and engaging method to break down misconceptions about certain non-dominant languages and cultures. The goal of language fair is to shine the light, inspire and motivate people to learn languages like Somali, Vietnamese, Thai, Russian, Burmese, Swahili, Dari, Karen, indigenous languages and more. We facilitative different language-based game-like experiential activities that teach people simple words and phrases. In addition, we invite cultural guides who share their cultural clothing, artifacts, and other items of cultural significance with people through conversation in English. This is how we engage and empower Torus English language learners to be civically engaged and improve English at the same time.
-
To partner with us to bring a language fair to your festival, fair, or event, please email: ramin@torustransforms.org
-
Festival of Nations
When: September 17, 2022 from 11am to 4pm
Where: Planned Parenthood Parking Lot 14601 Southeast Division Street Portland, OR 97236
Torus Language Meetups
We provide weekly language meet-ups in seven languages; Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, and Vietnamese. Language meet-ups allow participants to share and exchange language and culture with native English speakers or anyone interested in learning different languages with local communities. We ask our learners to give back to the community by volunteering at our virtual language learning meetups where they teach and share with native English speakers their language and culture. This experience transforms our English language learners because not only do they get to be on the other side where they have power as a facilitator, but also because it helps them gain confidence as they learn how to navigate intercultural interaction with native English speakers. Moreover, native English speakers develop intercultural competence as a result of this interaction thus leading to a mutually beneficial relationship.
Our current language meetups:
Torus Ambassadors
Torus ambassadors are community leaders who are bilingual or multilingual and support the communities that they belong to with access to resources, information and services. If you are bilingual, and want to serve your community, then to join us and help us help your community to get better access to resources, information and services. To sign up click here
