Mission Statement

Assist schools, through mentoring, to enhance the learning environment for students.

Objectives

To achieve our mission the School Volunteer Program Inc. will:

Utilise the abilities of community volunteers to encourage and guide children and young people who are having difficulty at school;

Support children and young people to strive to achieve their full potential for the future, by encouraging positive attitudes to learning and improving their life skills;

Promote positive interaction between the different generations; and

Promote the value of all volunteers and encourage community involvement in our schools.

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

A volunteers assists a young student on a one-to-one basis and become a mentor and role model to that student.

Mentors come to the school during normal school hours, usually once a week for one hour. In this time the mentor spends quality time with their student, providing encouragement and taking a sincere interest in the efforts of their student.

All volunteer mentors are required to attend an orientation workshop prior to commencing to enable you to fully understand how the program works in a school.

The program also provides information workshops free-of-charge for mentors on topics such as;

Drugs, Young People and You

Listening & Communication Skills

Reading Made Easy

Issues Facing Young People Today

SKILLS REQUIRED

The most important skills required to be a successful volunteer in the SVP are:

Patience - Having sufficient patience to progress slowly and steadily, with the potential to withstand many lapses and disappointments as the association with the child evolves.

Empathy - The volunteer needs to be able to step into the shoes of their student and to develop a friendly, unbiased empathy towards young people of today;

Life Experience - Volunteers need to have accumulated life experiences. The gathering of wisdom and tolerance by volunteers has been found to be an essential ingredient in the success of the SVP.

No formal academic qualifications are required as this is not a teaching program, and volunteers are not performing the function of teacher's aides. The SVP is an excellent example of members of the community passing on encouragement and lifting the self-esteem of vulnerable young people. The students and teachers in Western Australian schools all see what a positive impact these volunteer mentors are having on them and the community in general.

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Mission Statement

Objectives

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

SKILLS REQUIRED