Are you a retired teacher who is still dedicated to helping others?
Then Literacy Central Vancouver Island is looking for you.
Literacy Central Vancouver Island (LCVI), which is based in Nanaimo, is looking for volunteers tutors in the Ladysmith area.
LCVI was begun in the early 1990s and was then known as Literacy Nanaimo.
The tutoring program, which runs from Ladysmith to Nanoose, provides free one-on-one tutoring in English, math and computers to anyone aged 19 and older. The program is jointly funded by Vancouver Island University and LCVI.
“Since we started the program, we have helped more than 2,900 learners, and we have used 720 volunteer hours,” said literacy outreach co-ordinator Margaret Ames. “Last year, we made 130 matches, used 60 volunteer tutors and put 7,000 hours of volunteer tutoring in the community, which runs between Ladysmith and Nanoose.”
LCVI is looking for retired teachers in the Ladysmith area who would like to volunteer three hours of their time each week to help somebody in the Ladysmith area who wants to improve his or her language, math and/or computer skills.
“We’re looking for people who are experienced teachers and have three hours a week to give, people who are empathetic and patient and flexible,” said Ames.
Tutors are matched with people who are looking for help. They meet in a public area, which in Ladysmith, is usually the library, explained Ames.
LCVI provides professional development to volunteer tutors, and volunteers receive a copy of the organization’s newsletter, Tutor Twitter.
LCVI asks for a six-month commitment, but Ames says most volunteers stay two to five years.
Ames believes one of the reasons volunteers stay is because of what they get out of the work.
“They know they have helped somebody improve their skills and their self-esteem, and they have made a contribution,” she says.
Anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer tutor with LCVI can contact Ames at 250-754-8988 or outreach@literacycentralvi.org.
