Volunteer opportunities with Promise Partnership

438
Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Promise Partnership connects UNB Saint John with youth in two local priority neighborhoods to help combat poverty through providing educational support for students in kindergarten to grade 12.

Promise Partnership/Facebook

The community outreach initiative provides UNB Saint John students with valuable volunteer experiences which can also inspire personal growth. They are currently looking for mentors and tutors to support their initiative. 

Becoming a Mentor: 

Are you interested in making a difference by supporting children’s literacy? If so, the Student Mentoring Program might be for you!

The program pairs UNB Saint John student volunteers with youth between kindergarten to grade 5 at Hazen White – St. Francis School. All the activities are prepared by teachers and the time commitment is about one hour per week.

Additionally, there are flexible hours to help accommodate various class schedules. Volunteer hours are also recorded, and references are provided afterwards for anyone who participates. 

Becoming a Tutor: 

The Promise Partnership also includes a Middle School Homework Club for grades 6-8 and a High School tutoring program for grades 9-12. Both programs are offered twice weekly and specifically helps students from Crescent Valley and the Old North End.

These tutoring sessions are done in small groups and incorporate various subjects. If interested, you would be supporting students socially and academically as they transition to middle school and encouraging them to complete their high school studies. These programs also have low time commitments as the minimum volunteer requirement is one night per week. The influence and help you could provide to these students may also help to advance their options for attending post-secondary education later. 

Overall, becoming a mentor or tutor with the promise partnership is a rewarding opportunity for numerous reasons, such as gaining volunteer experience, developing strong leadership skills, creating lasting friendships, and growing stronger study skills. 

Promise Partnership/Facebook

A previous student who was involved in the program stated the following when asked about their time volunteering with the Promise Partnership: 

“The biggest lesson this program has given me is how rewarding it is to give back to your community and [how to] be a role model. I hope to gain more leadership skills throughout my time with The Promise Partnership.” 

If this is something that you would be interesting in participating in or to find more information, feel free to check out the Promise Partnership website here.

Ashley is a fifth-year student in the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education concurrent program. Now in her final year, she hopes to further studies with the goal of promoting international advocacy for educational rights. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to her vinyl records, watching films, and hiking.