The Extensive Reading Foundation welcomes regional professional associations that are concerned with extensive reading to affiliate themselves with the ERF. Associations with an additional focus on extensive listening and/or vocabulary acquisition are particularly welcome.
Affiliates are financially independent from the ERF; there are no fees for affiliation.
Recognition as an “ERF affiliate” commences when a formal “Memorandum of Understanding” has been signed by both parties.
Eligibility and maintenance requirements
At the time of application, the organization. . .
- must have a formal document of association that provides for a set of officers and rules for their succession.
- It must have an active means of disseminating information to its members, be it a webpage, online social network or paper-based publications.
- It must have at least one face-to-face conference, seminar or workshop annually.
- It may be a separate entity or a sub-section of a professional association with a language teaching/learning mission.
- It is required to cooperate with the ERF to disseminate information on future events and breaking research.
- It is required to submit a report of its activities to the ERF Chair, and to send a representative to the biennial Congresses if financially feasible.
The status of Affiliates will be periodically reviewed, and those that fail to meet the basic requirements may be suspended.
Benefits of association
- Use of the ERF logo and name
- Appointment to the ERF Board or a designated individual for the head of the affiliate
- Permission to create a local language translation of the ERF “Guide to Extensive Reading”
- Assistance in programming events
- Ability to request an ER expert as a speaker, funded by the ERF.
- ERF assistance to affiliate events is limited to the provision of speakers. Affiliates should seek funding from local resources to further support their events.
Other activities of mutual benefit
- Members of the association may be asked to be judges for the annual Language Learner Literature Awards
- Associations may request grants to fund start-up programs in areas without access to ER materials
Assistance in forming a local association.
- The ERF can provide assistance to teachers to establish an association in their area. Where a professional association for language teaching/learning already exists, teachers are encouraged to form a special interest group within the association rather than establishing an independent group. Please inform us when this is not a viable option.
Possible activities of an ERF Affiliate
Of the activities below, only the first four are required, the rest depend on the needs of the local community.
Required
- A web presence and/or newsletter kept up to date
- At least one meeting annually
- Annual end of calendar year report of Board members, elections, meetings held etc to be sent to the ERF affiliates email address
- The Affiliate should send a Board member to every world congress to make a short presentation
Suggested activities
- Workshops in regional areas
- Liaison with other academic associations
- Presentations at other academic associations
- Outreach to schools
- Temporary reader displays for walk-by students
- Influencing organizations in charge of pre-service and in-service training
- Publicity in the local mass media
Please direct queries to: newaffiliate@erfoundation.org