Most programs that LASS runs are dependent on volunteers who generously give their time to support others in their literacy development.
We could not do what we do without the commitment of hundreds of volunteers who make our programs what they are.
The difference that these volunteers make in our community cannot be understated, and we are so grateful to everyone who joins us in our vision of enhancing the health and well-being of individuals and the community as a whole through literacy initiatives.
Literacy skills open doors, and our incredible volunteers help those that participate in our programs to develop those skills. This is an incredibly rewarding experience, whether you are seeing a child feel the spark of joy in reading for the first time, or the senior citizen that you’re working with is now able to use their tablet to visit with family who live far away.
We take volunteer appreciation very seriously, so we do our best to let you know how great we think you are at every opportunity! We have an annual volunteer appreciation event for all of our programs, and then each individual program will often have a get-together for its volunteers as well. Not only is this a chance for us to thank you, but it is also a chance for you to meet like-minded people who value literacy and education as well. Our community of volunteers is a fabulous group of people!
Each program has different requirements for its volunteers. One common factor is that all of our volunteers are required to complete a criminal record check. Below are some of the specific duties of volunteers in each of our programs.
One to One
• In-School – One day per week, tutors read one-on-one for half an hour each with three children in Grades 2-5 at an Elementary School. Tutors help children to build confidence in reading and find the spark of joy that comes with reading. In addition to reading books together, tutors and students play simple literacy games to help make reading fun! The total commitment is 1.5-2 hours per week for 10-12 weeks.
• After-School – One day per week, tutors read one-on-one for half an hour each with three children in Grades 2-5 at an after-school care centre. Tutors help children to build confidence in reading and find the spark of joy that comes with reading. In addition to reading books together, tutors and students play simple literacy games to help make reading fun! The total commitment is 1.5-2 hours per week for 10-12 weeks.
• Virtual – Tutors may choose how many days per week they read with students, and how many students they would like to take on. The focus is on building confidence in reading and finding the spark of joy that comes along with reading. Tutors and students meet over Zoom, and use the online service Epic! Books to access books together.
Volunteers are part of a three-person team, along with a teacher and Certified Education Assistant (CEA). This team workfs with a group of 12-15 students after school for about 2 hours, creating a positive environment for the children to explore books and reading. Volunteers are often asked to read with an individual student or small group, or to lead a literacy game. This program runs for 7 months from November to May, and runs 2 days per week. Volunteers are asked to commit to one day per week.
Volunteers are part of a three-person team, along with a teacher and Certified Education Assistant (CEA). This team works with a group of 12-15 students after school for about 2 hours, creating a positive environment to encourage children to make reading a part of their day-to-day life, and hopefully reduce the likelihood of a “slide” backwards in their reading skills over the summer break. The commitment for this program varies year-to-year, but is usually 3-4 hours each day in the mornings for 2 weeks.
Volunteers meet one-on-one with senior learners and together they work on basic skills such as using a mouse, saving files, searching the Internet, and setting up an email account. The commitment for this program is 1 hour per week for 6-8 weeks
If you or your organization would like to get involved with LASS, we have a few events each year that are great ways to connect to the community!
These events require lots of extra time and planning, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you would like to get involved!
If you have strong communication and organizational skills and would like to volunteer your time by helping coordinate these wonderful events, please reach out to Thomas Briginshaw at
admin@shuswapliteracy.ca.
We’ll update you on the latest literacy news, events, professional development
opportunities and ways to make a difference.
We’ll update you on the latest literacy news, events, professional development
opportunities and ways to make a difference.
