¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

Have fun with kids AND help them learn!

Racing Readers is a collaboration between the ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Surrey–TD Community Engagement Centre and the Surrey School District (SD36). This after-school program seeks to improve the physical, educational and social well-being of elementary-aged students in Grades 2–5. Children participate in physical activities, reading, writing and numeracy exercises. High school, university and adult mentors (like you!) foster companionship, support, encouragement, and learning.

Racing Readers will operate at two sites:

• Newton Elementary School on Tuesdays from 2:15 pm to 5:30 pm 
• George Vanier Elementary School on Wednesdays from 2:15 pm to 5:30 pm 

In your volunteer application, please indicate if you are available for both Tuesdays and Wednesday afternoons, or just one day of the week. 

Your role:

As a Racing Readers volunteer, you will help lead students through the Racing Readers after-school program. You will help organize activity teams, coach physical activities and minor games, lead students through numeracy and literacy activities, and generally be a positive role model for respectful and fun learning.

Whether you know it or not: you are already a success story. As an ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV student, your presence alone provides a connection to higher education that can actually make a concrete difference in a young student’s life. You are real, accessible, and fun. And learning can be that way, too.

In this role, you will:

• Acquire knowledge about the Racing Readers Program goals and curriculum.
• Acquire knowledge on effective strategies for mentoring and encouraging students through literacy, numeracy and physical activity exercises.
• Apply learned knowledge by leading groups of students through literacy, numeracy and physical activity exercises.
• Adapt mentoring strategies to respond appropriately to different learner needs.
• Apply skills and strategies to solve problems and select an appropriate course of action.
• Demonstrate effective communication and teamwork skills
• Apply learned knowledge of the Racing Readers curriculum by coming up with new activity ideas to meet the needs and interests of the participants attending the program.
• Analyze situations after they have occurred, and come up with ideas and strategies for change, or methods for handling similar situations in the future
• Plan for and respond to issues of inclusion

Other benefits:

• Gain experience working with school-age kids in an elementary school setting.
• Gain experience facilitating an afterschool program.
• Gain demonstrable leadership and mentorship experience.
• Have the opportunity to engage with other ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV students and volunteers.
• Earn credit on your co-curricular record.

Program dates, times & locations:

Option 1:

• On Tuesdays 
• Location: Newton Elementary School (13359 81 Ave, Surrey)
• Date range: Jan 31 to April 4, 2023 and May 2 to June 20, 2023
• Time: 2:15pm to 5:30pm
• Mandatory Training Session: Tuesday, Jan 24 | 3:00pm to 6:00pm | School Library 
  

Option 2:

• On Wednesdays 
• Location: Georges Vanier Elementary School (6985 142 St, Surrey)
• Date range: Feb 1 to April 5, 2023 and May 3 to June 21, 2023
• Time: 2:15pm to 5:30pm
• Mandatory Training Session: Wednesday, Jan 25 | 3:00pm to 6:00pm | School Library 

On Commitment:

We ask that volunteers commit to the entire run of this program (until June 2023). A longer-term commitment will benefit both yourself and your team. However, we also realize that scheduling and life circumstances may make long-term involvement difficult, so the minimum commitment you must be able to make is one full semester (e.g. January–April / May–June).

Sample Daily Schedule:

2:15 pm – Program and Volunteer Supervisor arrives on-site; volunteers arrive on-site
2:45 pm – Students arrive, attendance taken, team check-ins
2:55 pm – Guided meditation / relaxing music
3:05 pm – Word of the day discussion and writing in journals
3:20 pm – Snack
3:35 pm – Stretching / warm-up / running / games
4:00 pm – Reading / indoor activities
4:45 pm – Cleanup / student dismissal
5:00 pm – Volunteer Debrief (ends at around 5:30 pm)

Requirements:

Please note, students from other universities & colleges may apply, but priority is given to current ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV students (undergraduate, graduate, or continuing studies) and ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV alumni.

• Strong ability to take initiative, independently interact with program participants and be proactive. Can determine what needs to be done and do it before being asked to;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; 
• Excellent interpersonal and conflict management skills; 
• Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills; 
• Willingness and ability to work with at-risk children who may exhibit behavioral challenges; 
• Previous experience working with children in a recreation or school setting will be considered an asset; 
• Volunteers must attend a mandatory training session to prepare them for the program. 

TO BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION:

If you are interested in this opportunity, please click the 'APPLY NOW' button below and submit your initial expression of interest.

You will then receive an email from SurveyMonkey containing our full application form which must be completed before the deadline below. 

Deadline: Saturday, January 14, 2023 | 11:59 PM

APPLY NOW

Please Note: If the required number of volunteers for this opportunity is reached before the above deadline, this posting may be taken down.