Big Sisters of B.C. Lower Mainland is looking for female volunteers from Burnaby for its Study Buddy program.
It’s a minimum six-month commitment. Volunteers come in once a week to tutor girls aged seven to 17 for one hour on whatever subjects they need help with.
The sessions take place at a mutually agreeable location (such as a library) after school or on weekends, and the program runs through the summer, depending on everyone’s schedule.
“Mentorship has amazing outcomes,” says Brenda Gershkovitch, the organization’s executive director. “Even though the Study Buddy program is an academic mentorship program, we do find the kids bond really strongly with the mentors.”
Gershkovitch adds students who are regularly mentored are 52 per cent less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37 per cent less likely to skip a class. Girls with a mentor are four times less likely to bully, fight, lie or lose their temper, she says.
“Children who are mentored have higher levels of self-esteem and confidence, and that’s a big one, particularly in middle school and high school.”
A number of students who use the Study Buddy program are newcomers, says Gershkovitch. She notes the program bridges the gap and helps kids settle into the Canadian schooling system.
To become a Study Buddy mentor, volunteers must: be 19 or older; be mature, stable, reliable and respectful of others; have been a Canadian resident for the past year; have a high school diploma and some post-secondary education; have experience helping others learn; and be fluent in reading, writing and speaking English.
To sign up, visit tinyurl.com/BBYStudyBuddy.
