Common Conversation is held at The Common Place on Wharf Street in Leeds city centre and offers free English language lessons followed by a communal meal. As well as providing an opportunity to learn English, the group has become very popular as a social space where the students can meet, make friends and feel they belong, improve their confidence using English and get involved in running the project too– cooking, cleaning up, assisting with lessons and helping organise social events.

Common Conversation has been running since May 2006. We meet every Saturday from 12 noon to 4pm and the lesson runs from 1pm to 3pm and is followed by the meal. 

Common Conversation is entirely run by volunteers and the students themselves. We always benefit from new people getting involved, particularly those with teaching experience. If you are currently enrolled on a TESOL or other teaching course then maybe Common Conversation can offer you a chance to practice and gain experience? Or maybe you have undertaken a qualification in the past but are currently in a different area of work, and would like to spend a few hours each week or once a month teaching? Your experience would be of real value to both the students and volunteers at Common Conversation.

However, you do not need teaching experience to make a positive difference to this project so don't be discouraged from coming along to assist if you haven't any experience or qualifications. We really need people to help with general management of the project too, so even if you don’t feel like teaching there are still plenty of ways in which you can help! 

Volunteers can help in any of the following ways:

teaching support during the lessons,

·     lesson planning,

·     getting feedback and evaluation from students,

·     keeping a record of topics/areas covered in lessons,

·     cooking and buying ingredients,

·     opening up and closing the building,

·     day to day finances,

·     funding applications,

·     organising volunteers and the rota,

·     publicity,

·     buying resources,

·     organising trips and visits,

·     and in other ways too!

Get in touch if you have any questions, join the group list to be kept up to date with what’s happening, and come along one Saturday (put your name down on the online rota first).

Email address: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Yahoo group list: http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/commonconversation

Online rota: http://commonconversation.blogspot.com

we won a national award -

http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/news/press/2007/december/13122007.htm

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Award-gives-studentsplenty-to-talk.3628630.jp