MERIDEN - Habla usted ingl_s? Someone could use your help.

If you speak English, you have a skill that many in this country want, said Holly Ludemann, program manager for Meriden with the Literacy Volunteers of Greater New Haven.

People from Mexico, Morocco, and just about any other country you can find on a world map have come to the area looking for a better life, Ludemann said, and many are looking to pick up the lingua franca, English.

Some want better fluency so they can find jobs, others, so they can talk to their children's teachers about school work.

Literacy volunteers takes English speakers with no special teaching skills and turns them into tutors capable of dramatically changing the lives of immigrants, Ludemann said, but there is a dearth of people willing to do the work.

Volunteers are needed for a new program at Edison Middle School, where Spanish teacher Christina Williams said there are numerous requests for translators when parent-teacher conferences roll around.

"This is a pretty large Spanish population," she said. "Many of the parents felt their literacy skills, their English skills, were not up to par …the need is there."

Williams contacted literacy volunteers about providing coaches to run a class teaching English to parents, and Ludemann hopes to have one started early next year, if she can find enough volunteers.

Last year the Women and Families Center's 21st Century Work Force Program, which literacy volunteers supplied with tutors, taught 30 students how to better their English and communicate in work-related situations.

"People are going there because they need jobs," Ludemann said. "The way the economy is now, it makes it very difficult for many people to get jobs. At literacy volunteers, we're trying to help fill that void."

Michael Buccilli, program coordinator for the 169 Colony St. center, said the program was effective in raising the English skills of those who took it and that he looks forward to a new session starting up in January.

"Tutors are really, really essential," he said. Although the main class is taught by a teacher, students come in at a variety of ability levels, and having one or two tutors who can work one-on-one really helps.

The Meriden branch of literacy volunteers is based out of the Meriden Public Library at 105 Miller St. Classes there also need more tutors.

Doss Venema, executive director of the organization, said she could use at least 25 new tutors to meet demand.

Volunteers do not need special skills other than English-language proficiency, but the organization does put on a class to get them ready for the work.

Anyone who wants to volunteer can contact literacy volunteers at (203) 235-1714

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(203) 317-2234