How Neighbor’s Way Reading Mentors Works

Each match $220, minimum 15 matches

This outstanding program recruits and trains community mentors to mentor elementary students in reading. This one-on-one mentoring provides enormous benefits to aid struggling youth by meeting their educational and social needs.  They spend an hour a week together enjoying books and other educational activities. This match improves their reading skills and forges a rewarding relationship for the elementary-aged students that boosts self esteem and confidence, as well as builds a lasting sense of achievement and impacts a child’s academic success.

30 weeks of resources for 2^nd or 3^rd grade – Tells your volunteers what to do, how to do it and when to get it done

Community mentors commit to at least one hour each week, one-on-one, and are matched with elementary school students. Community mentors are thoroughly prepared for this mentoring project and are trained to work with BrainStorm™, a specialized 40-minute curriculum developed in partnership with Scholastic. The research-based BrainStorm™ series focuses on the development of essential literacy skills. The complete series consists of Student Magazines, Tradebooks, and Teaching Guides covering three topic themes – Wild Weather, Animals at Risk, and Great Lives. Each community mentor is provided a complete series covering a 10 week mentor-mentee session, in addition the elementary student is given a variety of themed books which becomes part of their home library.

September and January training for your corps

 Volunteer USA will deliver objective driven, training to all mentors and program advisors prior to program start up.

Volunteer USA will provide both initial and ongoing training for community mentors to support effective implementation. Training will include:

• basic literacy instruction