Read United is a comprehensive literacy program that combines school-based grade-level reading support with a structured tutoring model built on volunteerism.
When you volunteer with Read United, you have the opportunity to make a positive impact on your community. Become a tutor today!
Our community volunteers at Read United are working hard to close achievement gaps, increase graduation rates, and break the cycle of poverty through two tutoring-based programs: AARP Foundation Experience Corps and Read2Succeed.
AARP Foundation Experience Corps is an intergenerational model in which tutors who are at least 50 years old will work with a struggling student over time. You may not think you’re equipped to be a tutor or mentor to students who struggle with reading. However, the fact that you can read and impart that knowledge to a younger generation is success in itself.
Because volunteers are working with children of a vulnerable population, there are five requirements a volunteer must meet:
• Be at least 50 years of age
• Can schedule two- 1 and a half hour sessions of training
• Can serve between 2-4 hours a week, committing to the same 1-hour sessions each week
• Possess a high school diploma or GED
• Will agree to and pass a criminal background check
• Has access to a device with a strong internet connection as well as a secure webcam connection
The intergenerational factor is vital for AARP Foundation Experience Corps to succeed and for our community to thrive. There is value between intergenerational connection—what the elder can teach and what the young can give and vice versa. The intergenerational relationship and mentoring is just as important as the academic tutoring that will take place.
The Read2Succeed program is open to volunteers ages 18 and older who would like to tutor students in reading for at least one hour a week. The program lasts from early September to late April and follows the school holiday calendar. Volunteers participate in five hours of training throughout the school year and the schools provide all tutoring materials.
The weekly tutoring sessions will be either 1-on-1 or in a group setting. Volunteers communicate with a designated volunteer coordinator at the school throughout the program. Read2Succeed requires that volunteers have a GED or high school diploma and a completed background check.
With Read2Succeed, the goal is to join teachers as another layer of assistance to these kids who may be struggling. Read2Succeed helps them learn to read, which will affect the rest of their lives. Whether learning to read affects the choices they make or what they’re able to do, it’s one of the most important things in life.
