Volunteer with Students
Volunteers work with students to help them achieve their academic goals. You don’t have to be an experienced tutor to join! Willingness to learn and a commitment to giving back will make you a fantastic volunteer for our Academic Assistance Program.
Our program runs during the school year every Tuesday through Thursday from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. Volunteers work with children in 1st – 6th grade for one 90-minute session per week. You may be paired up with an individual student or with a small group of students.
Volunteers must be at 16 or older (no exceptions).
Serve as a Leader
We welcome new board members who are interested in supporting our Academic Assistance program in person, and/or individuals who provide a professional skill, such as finance, grant writing, marketing and communications, social media, recruitment, or non-profit management. If you are interested in becoming a leader in the community and serving as a member of our Board of Directors, please submit an inquiry through our application listing.
Sponsor a Group Event
If your business or organization is interested in hosting or sponsoring a one-time event for the students, we’d love to have you! Organizations work with VU to sponsor celebrations, activities, fundraise, and more.
Please email us if your group is interested in hosting an event.
A Typical Session at VU
1. Meet your student
At the beginning of every session, we match each student with a volunteer. We rotate it up to allow students and volunteers opportunities to work with someone new. Once we pair you up for the session, students grab their bins and a healthy snack and chat with you to get settled in.
2. Provide academic help
You will work with students to complete their homework and other provided academic materials. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a math whiz! Most of our students are still learning basic reading, writing, and math.
- Math: The students focus on basic counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. For more advanced levels, we have plenty of volunteers who are willing to help if you find your math skills are a bit rusty.
- Reading: Students have daily reading worksheets to help them build and learn the fundamental skills of phonics and grammar. They also choose a library book to read for 20 minutes each day. You will help by listening as the student reads aloud, and providing corrections and guidance with comprehension and vocabulary.
- Writing: Some of the students are learning basic letters and words, whereas others are writing sentences and paragraphs. You will help students complete daily writing worksheets to learn about writing technique, such as capitalization and punctuation, as well as help them as they complete a writing prompt.
3. Participate in clean-up activities
At the end of each session, you will record updates about your time with the student in a booklet. You will also ensure the student cleans up their materials before they leave.
At the close of each session, you are encouraged to talk to a board member to discuss how the day went. It’s also a great time to chat with other volunteers and meet others in the community!
