Become a Literacy Coach with the Rural Youth and Adult Literacy Trust (RYALT)!
Are you passionate about literacy especially for NeuroDiverse learners? Join us as a volunteer Literacy Coach and help someone develop the reading and writing skills they need for everyday life.
About the Role
This is a fully remote volunteer position. As a Literacy Coach, you’ll work one-on-one with a student over video conference, helping them build their literacy skills from the ground up. You don’t need to be a teacher — we provide training and ongoing support.
We ask our volunteers to:
- Work with one student at a time, three times a week for at least 30 minutes per session.
- Spend additional time preparing for sessions (overall commitment is around 2–3 hours per week).
- Use video conferencing for all student sessions.
- Participate in online professional development workshops to keep building your skills.
- Commit to the role for at least one year. This is a long-term volunteering opportunity and consistency is important for the student’s progress.
Who You’ll Work With
- Our students range in age from 14 to 65 and come from all walks of life. They may be just starting with the alphabet or working toward writing essays. Most are somewhere in between.
- All students are working toward everyday reading and writing skills.
- We take your preferences into account when matching you with a student, so you’ll be paired with someone you’re comfortable supporting.
- You’ll be working with NeuroDiverse learners — people who learn and think in different ways, such as those with dyslexia, ADHD, or autism.
-Patience, flexibility, and consistency are key.
You don’t need to be a literacy expert — just someone who:
- Is interested in working with Neuro Diverse people
- Is friendly, patient, and enjoys helping others
- Has an analytical mindset and is comfortable with planning
- Can commit to a long-term role (minimum one year)
- Moderate technology skills — you will be required to download and use our messaging app, Slack, for communication, and access our wiki library of resources.
- A willingness to learn these tools. If you're not confident, our tech support team is available to help you get set up. Using these platforms is an essential part of the role.
Training and Support
- Before you begin coaching, you’ll receive full training and guidance.
- A structured training program to get you started
- A library of online resources
- A community of fellow volunteers
- Tech support for using communication tools like Slack and the wiki
- Ongoing professional development workshops
The role is flexible, but it requires consistency and regular contact. It’s not a casual volunteer opportunity — it’s for people who want to build a connection and support someone’s progress over time.
