Examples

Below are some examples of how to organize groups to meet local needs.

Ongoing Groups

A stake council wants to provide EnglishConnect groups that members of the stake and community can join anytime. They hope the EnglishConnect groups will provide Church members with opportunities to serve. They also hope these groups will provide community members with opportunities to learn more about Jesus Christ and experience the love of Church members.

They select a building that is closest to most of the people who are likely to attend. They decide to have the groups meet Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. They call four teachers, two for EnglishConnect 1 and two for EnglishConnect 2. They ask one of the teachers to be the coordinator of the entire program and give that teacher the calling of welfare and self-reliance specialist in Leader and Clerk Resources. With this calling, the coordinator can register the groups in QuickReg.

The stake council then advertises the groups by handing out flyers at church, posting about it on social media platforms, and asking missionaries to invite people they meet. Initially, the stake refers learners to join a virtual EnglishConnect 3 group for their area when they are ready to move past EnglishConnect 2. Over time, the stake has enough participants to support an EnglishConnect 3 group at the same Church building as their EnglishConnect 1 and 2 groups. They work with their BYU–Pathway Worldwide contact to call PathwayConnect missionaries to oversee the EnglishConnect 3 group.

Two-Unit Groups

A ward council wants to provide the members of the ward and community with an opportunity to learn English. They have tried to run an EnglishConnect group before, but most participants found it difficult to commit to attend the full 25-week offering. They decide to offer groups that cover only two units.

The leaders plan to have the groups meet on Tuesdays and Fridays from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. They call four teachers, two for EnglishConnect 1 and two for EnglishConnect 2. They register the groups in QuickReg and advertise the groups by putting a sign outside the Church building. They also make flyers that members can hand out to their friends or share on social media.

At the end of the month, the leaders conclude the groups in QuickReg and make a plan to cover the next two units in the near future.

Youth Groups

A stake council wants to help youth access educational and employment opportunities after they finish the youth program and return home from their missions. The leaders also hope that learning English with EnglishConnect will help youth learn how to partner with God to achieve worthwhile goals. They decide to start EnglishConnect groups for the youth in their stake.

The youth live far away from each other, so the leaders decide to have the groups meet virtually on Tuesdays from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. They call a returned missionary and a youth who know some English to teach the group. The leaders ensure that they are following Church policies for protecting youth. For example, they make sure that two adults who have completed the youth protection training are present in each virtual meeting and that each youth has a signed parental consent form.

The leaders also set up a teacher- or leader-monitored WhatsApp group so the youth can practice their English daily. The WhatsApp group helps involve youth who can’t join the Tuesday meetings.

Leaders work with their area welfare and self-reliance manager to start an EnglishConnect 3 youth group in their area for those who have English-language abilities beyond EnglishConnect 2.

Missionary-Led Groups

Mission leaders would like to use EnglishConnect to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. They know that EnglishConnect groups work best when they are member run and missionary supported. In council with the stake presidents in the mission, they decide that the mission will start EnglishConnect groups and work to hand them off to the stakes.

The missionaries decide on meeting times for the groups that work well for their proselyting schedule and maximize access to people in the community. While the missionaries start out as EnglishConnect teachers, they also work with priesthood leaders to find local members to replace them, some of whom may be former EnglishConnect 1 and 2 learners. Over time, the missionaries transition into a support role. The missionaries continue to support the groups by attending regularly, referring new learners, and encouraging learners to seek God’s help to learn English.