The Los Angeles Unified School District has some good ideas on Positive Volunteerism. Click Here. My favorite one is “Like children and show it.” It’s simple and yet says it all — let the kids know that you like being there and that you want to share time with them. It’s worth running through your mind again — and being positive with them will make the experience more enjoyable for you too. “Like children and show it.”
It’s a useful guiding principle — keep it simple! So when you need a volunteer to do a specific job, let folks know exactly what the job is, the time commitment, and any other pertinent details. Keep it simple — give contact information for more details. Cambridge, MA has a good example of this technique on their webpage.
Here’s a good article on a business school partnership in Detroit, “Adopt-a-School Volunteers Get Training” If you want some ideas on how to partner with local businesses, you may find them in this article. A variety of ways include mentoring, tutoring, service projects, and interships. Businesses bring different strengths to the process of community building. It’s heartening to see folks working together to address these critical issues: how to use resources well to educate our kids.
South Kingstown, RI has a neat idea — Homework Club Volunteers. CARES homework clubs provide students with a quiet place to do homework with the support and guidance of a volunteer. The volunteers are from the community, the local university, and parents. Take a look at more ideas if this seems like it might be a good fit for growing your school volunteer program. Sometimes a little extra support is all a child needs to succeed!
The School Volunteer Association of Bridgeport has some simple ideas on how to connect with volunteers. An easy to read webpage outlines the volunteer spots available and the application to complete. It outlines four categories: Reading Enrichment, Book Buddies, Math/Reading Tutor, and Mentor. Perhaps your school or district can rally some volunteers with the simple approach to communicating volunteer needs.