The Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society (LASS) is looking for volunteers who can help provide literacy support for residents in the North Okanagan-Shuswap.
LASS offers many different programs, almost all of which are dependent on volunteers.
LASS has a volunteer base of close to 200 people who spend time throughout the year supporting others gaining vital literacy skills.
The largest group of LASS volunteers support the One To One Children’s literacy program. With the help of caring community members, LASS, in partnership with School District #83, help to build a path to success for children struggling with their reading. LASS trains volunteers to work with students in schools during school hours. These students are identified by their teachers as needing a boost in their literacy skills.
ONE TO ONE ran in 15 of the 17 local elementary schools and volunteers are needed for all communities. The volunteer commitment for ONE TO ONE is 1.5 hours per week for 10 weeks. A three hour training sessions is required to volunteer in this program.
In addition to ONE TO ONE, this past school year, LASS, in partnership with the school district and Valid Manufacturing, ran a 16 week after-school literacy program. All four Salmon Arm schools that ran the program had a LASS volunteer who spent 1.5 hours per week supporting the program. This year, Valid Manufacturing is funding five elementary schools, four in Salmon Arm and one in Enderby.
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LASS also runs a Cyber Seniors Computer Tutoring Program. Last year this program ran in Sicamous, Enderby, Blind Bay and Salmon Arm. The program runs for eight weeks, three times per year. In this program, senior learners are partnered with a volunteer tutor who supports their seniors in learning about technology. The technology varies from cell phones to iPAD’s to computers. The volunteers in this program work one hour per week with their learner. You do not need to be a technology expert to volunteer in this program. All you need is to have patience and one hour a week to spend helping a senior navigate the technology dependent world of 2019.
If you have some time and want to get involved in your community, please consider volunteering with LASS to support literacy in our community. Communities with high literacy levels are among the happiest and healthiest communities to live in. That is what we all want for the North Okanagan-Shuswap.
To sign on as a volunteer or for further information, please contact Darcy Calkins, Literacy Outreach Co-ordinator at 250-463-4555, or admin@shuswapliteracy.ca. A criminal record check is mandatory for all LASS volunteers.
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