Turning Learners into Leaders
Schaumburg Township District Library
Innovation Synopsis
In the summer of 2025, the Literacy program at the Schaumburg Township District Library developed unique opportunities for English Language Learners to become leaders and mentors for new arrivals and long-time residents. We created non-traditional volunteer roles that celebrate our community's rich diversity. Together, students explored roles beyond the classroom. From leading all-ages cultural activities to mentoring new arrivals in their native tongues and hosting conversation clubs and book clubs for different sections of our community.
By centering on the enthusiasm of our students and empowering their talents, we nurtured a space where every learner feels safe, useful, and deeply valued. Our growing community is eager to share a genuine sense of belonging while gaining skills that open doors to gainful employment. The result is two-fold: a vibrant public space that treasures our neighborhood's diversity, and powerful stepping stones that elevate the lives of all our participants.
Challenge/Opportunity
In 2025, the Schaumburg Township District Library received more than 700 literacy inquiries that expanded from beginner-level ESL classes to speech classes for professionals and entrepreneurs.
While local schools and colleges offer abundant standard ELL classes, we aimed to complement—not replicate—their efforts. Observing that community partners frequently recommend volunteering for advanced students to build confidence, we transformed our volunteer program into an inclusive leadership pipeline tailored for ELLs.
- Traditional volunteering often requires advanced English, excluding many learners. We created accessible, culturally diverse roles.
- We paired experiential volunteering with job-search basics to build fluency, real-world experience, and local professional networks.
- We moved beyond basic language instruction to foster genuine belonging, civic participation, and economic access for new Americans.
Key Elements of Innovation
- Our library transformed ELL services into a collaborative leadership hub, turning language barriers into bridges for community connection.
- We engaged diverse, hard-to-reach immigrants as peer leaders and volunteers. ELLs guide patrons through multilingual library services, host cultural events, and facilitate conversation groups.
- Collaborations with adult education programs and local community groups feed our pipeline of participants.
- Instead of treating ELLs as passive learners, we position multilingualism as a core community asset. Peer leadership builds immediate trust during school visits and classes.
- This initiative redefines traditional library volunteering by proving that libraries can expand multicultural reach by empowering patrons to co-create inclusive services—a model easily replicated nationwide.
Achieved Outcomes
Our initiative delivered tangible U.S. work experience, practical English practice, and profound community impact, measured by the following metrics:
- Multilingual Outreach & Storytimes: 10 trained guides delivered library orientations in 5 languages; 4 volunteers led multilingual storytimes in Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Ukrainian.
- Cultural & Community Engagement: 23 participants supported major events (e.g., Mid-Autumn Festival, Diwali, Lunar New Year, Holi) and represented the library at school resource fairs.
- Expanded Leadership: Volunteers launched thriving new series, including Family ESL, Spanish Conversation Clubs, and an additional ESL Book Club.
- Tangible Career Growth: A participant advanced to a site supervisor role for a continuing education program, directly citing her library volunteer experience.
