VEP fulfills an unspoken mandate in the Chester County community to welcome any and all immigrants and refugees who seek to empower themselves through English language skills and American cultural understanding.
VEP is unique because of its one-to-one, student goal-centered approach to learning English and our American culture. The program supports all language speakers, upwards to 30 of the 58 spoken in Chester County alone. The program meets students wherever they are on the path of literacy and proficiency, regardless of income or residency status.
One of the hallmarks of the program is its community-based, non-classroom approach available seven days a week, morning to evening, including weekends. The model respects adults who need to learn at a location easily accessible to work or home and at times conducive to their busy lives. The 365-day approach to learning provides consistent engagement which helps to ensure student progress.
Concurrently, VEP staff recruit, train, and prepare more than 100 new community volunteers as tutors each year through a series of seven, nine-hour workshops that are held in locations throughout the county, convenient to where volunteers live and/or work.
Enjoy these inspiring images of VEP tutors and students on YouTube.