How You Can Get Involved

Mentoring

After School

As an After School tutor, you'll volunteer 2-3 hours in the afternoon once each week at a local middle school, providing academic support and leading group activities. 

After School also offers enrichment programs two to three Saturdays each semester. They range from activities on W&M's campus to traveling to local areas for the day. The spring semester culminates with Big Trip. In previous years, we've visited Washington, D.C. and areas throughout the Virginia Peninsula. Tutors are expected to help with at least one enrichment program each semester.

After School tutors seek to foster strong relationships with the students through effective learning and empowerment.  This encourages a strong sense of self in tutors and helps to develop students' skills to be confident self-advocates, life-long learners, and active citizens in the community.

Literacy Lab

Being a Literacy Lab tutor includes volunteering in the schools 1.5-2 hours each week, supporting students who need extra literacy help. You follow tutoring plans made by the graduate students in the School of Education to assist the students and receive feedback on tutoring notes you will write after each session.

Enrichment Day Volunteers

If your schedule does not work around any of the shifts that are available, consider being an Enrichment Day Volunteer!  Enrichment Days occur on two to three Saturdays a semester.  By signing up as a volunteer, it is expected that you will participate on all of the Enrichment Days.  There will be a reflection session at the end of each program.  These days are filled with fun and help provide new opportunities for the students in After School and other young people in the community to engage in education with W&M students.

Head Start

GSP is collaborating with the Head Start Preschool Program that was created for children with disabilities or whose families are income eligible.  As a volunteer, you will help with the preschool program ages 3-5.

The Path to Leadership: Becoming a Team Lead

Becoming a team lead is a great place to start, if you are interested in a leadership role within GSP.  Responsibilities for team leads on each volunteer shift are recording attendance, enforcing dress code, cultivating positive culture, maintaining effective communication channels, and providing feedback to the GSP Leadership Team. Team leads are responsible for driving volunteers to and from their shift, requiring van certification. Finally, team leads facilitate reflection sessions with their shift’s volunteers.

Consistent Weekly Attendance

Consistent, on-time weekly attendance is critical to our relationships with schools, students, and families. In the case of illness/family emergency, volunteers must inform their team leaders in advance. 

Training & Issue Education

All new volunteers participate in onboarding training their first semester. Every subsequent semester, volunteers are expected to continue attending a variety of trainings to diversify their knowledge. This helps build a range of skills that range from assessing student motivation to working with students with disabilities.

Issue education events tap into the experience and expertise of William and Mary School Of Education Faculty as well as teachers and administrators of our partner WJCC schools. Formats include panels and talks to help volunteers gain a deeper understanding of the context of our community engagement. 92% of 2016-17 participants reported that they deepened their commitment to education equity through participation in OCE's school-based education programs.

Volunteers can sign up for Training and Issue Education sessions at the beginning of each semester once they are announced.

Reflection Sessions

Community engagement is most meaningful when it is paired with education on the social issue being addressed and critical reflection. As a volunteer, you will gather a few times each semester with your program for reflection facilitated by team leaders. Team leaders are responsible for scheduling and facilitating these sessions.  Mentoring reflection sessions are lead and scheduled by the Mentoring Coordinator.