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Reading Volunteer - Online or Face-to-Face

Bookmark

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Each year, one in four children leave primary school unable to read well and disadvantaged children are disproportionately affected. Struggling to read can contribute to poor educational attainment, lower literacy in adulthood and has even been linked to a lower life expectancy.

Bookmark volunteers spend one hour a week reading stories and playing games with a child aged between five and ten years old, on our secure online platform. The programme involves two 30-minute sessions a week with the same child, for six weeks. You book your programme through the Bookmark Volunteer Hub and select sessions at times that work with your schedule.

“It was such a wonderful experience. I was very happy knowing that I was helping someone. The child really improved a lot during the 6 weeks. It was really rewarding for me to see the improvement.” — Joe, Bookmark volunteer

Why volunteer with Bookmark?

New government data shows that attainment fell further for poorer pupils this year which has widened the attainment to the largest it has been in 10 years.

As a Bookmark volunteer, you’ll help to bridge this gap. You’ll:

Help children who struggle with their reading gain essential skills at a crucial age. This will prepare them to move up the school, ready to tackle new challenges without falling further behind. Three quarters of our volunteers noticed their reader become more confident with their reading.

Make learning to read fun by bringing your own personality into the sessions and getting to know your reader’s interests. It’s amazing when you introduce a book, comic or poem for the first time that they love! 90% of teachers said that pupils enjoy reading more after our programme.

Give a child one-to-one attention and be a role model. Teachers have told us that children really benefit from this dedicated time and found it boosted their self-esteem and confidence as well as their reading. You can read more about this in our Impact Report.

Helping a child with their reading is also really fun and rewarding. Over 60% of our volunteers said their own wellbeing had improved because of volunteering with Bookmark.

Is volunteering with Bookmark right for me?

Our volunteers are all ages and from all walks of life. At Bookmark we aim to make volunteering accessible to as many people as possible, so we can help more children.

- Are you over 18 and currently living in the UK?

- Are you passionate about literacy and its importance?

- Are you able to show enthusiasm, encouragement, empathy and patience?

- Can you commit to two 30-minute sessions a week, for six consecutive weeks?

- Are you willing to complete at least 3 six-week programmes a year?

- Can you provide two references for your application (for safeguarding reasons)?

- Do you have access to a PC, laptop or Chromebook with a webcam and internet connection (iPads, phones and/or tablets are not compatible), and do you feel relatively comfortable using technology?

If NO, then you can still apply to be to volunteer on our face-to-face programmes in certain locations.

Teaching & Training,Youth Work,Advice, Information & Support,Befriending, Buddying & Mentoring,Community Work

Language Skills, Reading & Writing

Main duties and objectives • Help children who struggle with their reading gain essential skills at a crucial age. This will prepare them to move up the school, ready to tackle new challenges without falling further behind. Three quarters of our volunteers noticed their reader become more confident with their reading. • Make learning to read fun by bringing your own personality into the sessions and getting to know your reader’s interests. It’s amazing when you introduce a book, comic or poem for the first time that they love! • Give a child one-to-one attention and be a role model. Teachers have told us that children really benefit from this dedicated time and found it boosted their self-esteem and confidence as well as their reading. You can read more about this in our Impact Report.

Why volunteer with Bookmark? - The attainment gap between poorer pupils and their peers is at its highest in 10 years, affected by COVID-19, redundancies and the rising cost of living. - 80% of our volunteers saw their reader’s confidence grow - 90% of teachers surveyed in 2022 had seen their pupils’ enjoyment of reading grow - You can bring fun and personality into the sessions, getting to know your reader’s interests and playing games to help them develop a love of reading! - Over 60% of our volunteers said that their own wellbeing had improved because of Bookmark volunteering - Develop your experience in working with children, teaching, and learning to cater your support to an individual child's needs

At least 3 programmes consisting of 12 sessions, organised into two 30-minute sessions per week over 6 weeks.

Further location details may be provided below.

Rebecca

Online or in-person, dependent on the availability/location of the individual.

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Volunteer Centre  Role Type

Volunteer Centre  Suitable For

18+

Volunteer Centre  We Welcome

 We welcome and/or have the resources to support:

We welcome and encourage volunteers from a variety of backgrounds.

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