For most adults, autumn no longer means fresh notebooks and new lockers and back-to-school nerves. Whether you say good riddance to all that, or are still pining for a Lisa Frank folder, consider volunteering at one of the city’s many tutoring programs. D.C.’s public schools have significantly improved in recent years, but a wide achievement gap between affluent and poor students remains. No single volunteer gig is going to fix the system, but you can still help a kid get a leg up.
Photo by Adam Fagen.
READING PARTNERS: Despite D.C.’s overeducated reputation, just 13 percent of the District’s low-income fourth graders can read proficiently. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to help. It’s no Derek Zoolander Center for Kids Who Can’t Read Good, but at Reading Partners you can teach a D.C. student how to read better. The tutoring program relies on volunteers who meet with a student once a week at one of 18 local elementary schools. You don’t need to be an English major to make a difference either: Reading Partners uses a preset, evidence-based curriculum and lesson plans, and there are staff at every tutoring site available to help as well. — Alicia Mazzara
You can find more information about Reading Partners here.
DC SCORES: Have you ever thought to yourself, How can I give back in a way that combines my love of soccer and poetry? Look no further than DC Scores, an after school program working in 50 different schools across the District. The program has three components: a poetry and spoken word course in the fall, a service-learning course in the spring, and year-round soccer leagues and camps. Many D.C. schools do not have the resources to offer a soccer program without DC Scores and the help of its volunteers. Volunteers can help out on the field, refereeing or coaching games, or as a writing coach in the poetry program. Even if you don’t have time to volunteer regularly, folks can still pitch in during special events on nights and weekends. — Alicia Mazzara
To learn more, visit their volunteer page
HIGHER ACHIEVEMENT:One of the more challenging aspects of volunteering is wondering if you’re actually making any difference at all. While there are lots of tutoring and mentoring programs, Higher Achievement’s model has actually been proven to work. Students in the program are twice as likely to graduate from high school and four times as likely to graduate from college, which is no small feat given D.C.’s staggeringly high drop-out rates. Volunteers can serve as after school tutors, helping 5th-8th graders with homework once a week, or teach weekly evening courses in math, English, or another subject. No worries if you’re not a former teacher: the curriculum and lesson plans are developed by Higher Achievement in advance. — Alicia Mazzara
Prospective volunteers can sign up here.
BRAINFOOD: Brainfood uses food as a tool to help youth in D.C. develop life skills like active learning, self-reliance, and the ability to make healthy choices about what they eat. They offer a hands-on food education program for high school students; help those students teach their own healthy cooking workshops after graduating; and run their own summer CSA. You can volunteer as a cooking classroom assistant, as a guest chef/speaker, or as a special event helper. Classroom assistants are required to commit to volunteering once a week throughout the eight-month program (October – May) at locations in Chinatown, Columbia Heights, or Mt. Vernon Square. — Jenny Holm, from a previous list
Learn more here.
826DC: Tutoring is one of the best ways to donate your time and skills to help students, but while there are a plethora of tutoring services in the District, a majority of them employ tutors on an hourly rate (as well they should!). But if you’re just look to volunteer a few hours a week to help kids with their homework and whatnot, there’s no better organization than 826DC. The organization, which was co-founded by author David Eggars and features city-specific locations across the country, works with kids aged six to 18 on creative writing and literacy tutoring, mostly after school but also on the weekends. Volunteers work one-on-one with kids and can also lead their own writing workshops, giving you a chance to flex your creative muscles to educate children. — Matt Cohen
826DC is located at 3333 14th Street NW, Suite M120, but is soon moving to a new location across the street at Tivoli Square.
YEAR UP: Education hardly ends at high school, but, for many young people, structured support often stops at graduation. Year Up works to fill in that gap—they call the lack of access to higher education and jobs that pay a livable way the “opportunity divide” —by providing driven young adults with a combination of skills development, college credit, and internships during a yearlong program. By the end of the year, the vast majority of them go on to jobs that utilize their new technical and professional skills. You can help out by tutoring, mentoring, or speaking to a class. — Rachel Sadon
Learn more here.
GIRLS ROCK! DC: Founded in 2007, this is an awesome organization that builds girls’ self-confidence through music education and jam sessions. During a week-long day camp every summer, girls learn how to play an instrument of their choice, be it electric guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, turntables, digital music, or vocals. While they learn about music, they also learn about women in rock n’ roll history, band management, and the music business. They then form bands and write either an original song or compose a DJ set. Although their summer rock camp is about to conclude, there are a wide variety of opportunities that take place throughout the year, like after school programs and fundraising. Find out more here. — Caroline Baxter, from a previous list
If working with kids or young adults isn’t your forte, check out these local arts and food volunteering opportunities.
