Who we are

We teach English for work, life and study.

Literacy Network is a community organisation based in Manly Vale, managed by volunteers and established to tutor adults living in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney. We provide one-to-one free English lessons to improve reading writing and speaking skills.

If you are interested in joining us, either as a student or volunteer tutor, you can contact us either by phone or email.

What we do

If English is difficult for you, we can help.

Everywhere we go, we need to communicate with the people we meet, with our employers and colleagues, in job applications and interviews, with our doctors or our children’s schools, to make friends.

At Litnet we provide one-to-one free tuition to students in their own homes, in a local library, at our office in Manly Vale, or online.

Our history

Communication is our Network’s goal.

We teach adult Australians who find written and spoken communication difficult and refugees and migrants seeking to learn English as a second language. We do not teach classes. We pair one student with one volunteer tutor and lesson times and locations are decided together. Communication is our goal.

In 1987, our founder Joan Giumelli (OAM) began Literacy Network. Our original service covered an area from Sydney Harbour to the Hawkesbury River. At that time we benefitted from funding provided by the state government.

When this assistance ceased in 2008, our area of operation became the Northern Beaches, with the service run entirely by volunteers. We had access to a classroom in Frenchs Forest until the end of 2012, after which we relocated to Brookvale. Today, we do not teach classes, we teach one-to-one and are based in Manly Vale.

By maintaining continuous and close liaison with relevant community organisations, such as Northern Beaches Council, Community Northern Beaches, Northern Beaches Community Hub, and The Reading Writing Hotline (as well as the support of the local library system), we aim to increase community awareness of literacy issues.

Our ability to continue is thanks to the financial contributions provided through grants from Northern Beaches Council, Dee Why RSL, other local RSL and community clubs, plus the generous time and support provided by our volunteer tutors and management committee.