Internships with The Women’s Literacy Foundation

Thank you for your interest in The Women’s Literacy Foundation and Watch Learn Read Inc. Following are a few questions and answers about the internship program:

What are the starting and ending dates for this internship?

This internship is for the fall semester, October 12 to December 11. Although the full nine weeks is preferred, interns may take time off for family or academic obligations. However, a minimum commitment of four weeks is required.

There is a week during the fall when I can’t work. Is that OK?

Please read the answer to the very first question more carefully.

Does this internship pay anything?

This internship is a voluntary position and does not pay any salary or hourly wage. However, we do provide a bi-weekly stipend equal to $5 per work day to cover gas and public transportation costs.

Will there be paid positions in the future?

Yes, it is hoped that your successful participation will enable Watch Learn Read and the Women’s Literacy Foundation to offer paid positions by the middle of next year. Current and past interns will receive priority consideration for these paid positions.

Will there be any internship positions in the spring?

Yes, there will be spring semester internships. Fall interns ARE eligible to apply for a spring internship.

What are the required hours?

The hours are very flexible. Interns must commit to working a minimum of fifteen hours per week, but are welcome to work up to forty hours if they so desire. The office is open from 10am to 7pm, although those hours may be extended to 9am to 7pm. Interns may set a schedule to work any hours of the week during those times. The office is often open on weekends, but the weekend schedule is irregular and interns should schedule their time Monday through Friday.

What kind of work is the Foundation doing?

Our organization is developing separate but similar literacy teaching tools for adults and children. Using popular American movies and television programs, we are dubbing these programs into Chinese, Hindi, Portuguese, Spanish, French and other languages used in the Middle East and Africa. We will be incorporating special subtitles coupled with instructional movie segments to turn these programs into a tool which will help people learn to read and write in their native languages.

What work will the intern be doing?

The intern we am looking for will be assisting in the identification of, and contact with, the copyright holders along with sources of programming material for various TV programs and movies. In addition they will be helping with some preliminary information gathering regarding the formation of legal contracts which will be needed for the use of some of these programs.

What is the organization “Watch Learn Read Inc.”?

There are two organizations. The first, Watch Learn Read Inc, is a for-profit corporation and The Women’s Literacy Foundation is non-profit. These two organizations occupy the same office and employ the same people. The simplest way to describe the relationship between the two is to say that Watch Learn Read makes everything and Women’s Literacy gives it all away.

How long has Watch Learn Read and The Women’s Literacy Foundation been working on this project and what progress has been made so far?

Watch Learn Read has developed the software programs, methods, and procedures to transform the television shows and movies into teaching tools. A team of programmers, translators, and educators working for Watch Learn Read have devoted the past three years to develop these teaching tools. We have tested these teaching tools in China and have established relationships with various schools to assist us in deployment of these teaching tools. All funding to date has come from the personal assets of the Founder, Edward Dow. Unfortunately, the assets of Mr. Dow have been completely depleted and additional funding is needed to continue development of the Learning Library for the Women’s Literacy Foundation to build the adult literacy centers. Our next goal is to use this software and teaching methodology to produce and sell teaching tools which will help American pre-school children learn how to read and write in English. All profits created by Watch Learn Read will go to The Women’s Literacy Foundation and pay for the cost of providing similar teaching tools to adults for free.

On the website for the Women’s Literacy Foundation it does not list the Board of Directors. Where did this organization come from and who is the Director?

The Founder and Director of The Women’s Literacy Foundation and the Founder and President of Watch Learn Read Inc is Edward Dow. The process to be approved under the IRS Tax Code Section 501(c)(3) as a Federally Certified non-profit organization and eligible to receive charitable contributions which may be deducted from corporate and private income taxes is a process which is both lengthy and costly. Since the Foundation has not been receiving outside contributions, available financial resources have been allocated toward development of the teaching tools and process. Although the IRS certification has not yet been given, that does not alter the fact that the Women’s Literacy Foundation is a non-profit organization, it simply means that financial contributions can not be used as Federal tax deductions.

How do I apply?

To inquire about our internship opportunities, please contact us at volunteering@womensliteracyfoundation.org.