Literacy

Actions

• Tutor with the Jewish Coalition for Literacy - Volunteer at a school or after-school program throughout San Francisco, the East Bay, and the Peninsula. Morning and afternoon hours are available. For information, contact Randi Dodick Fields,  or call (415)369-9978 x 102.
  
  
• Tutor with Back on Track - An interfaith collaborative effort between Third Baptist Church and Congregation Emanu-El. Provide long-term tutoring and mentoring to underserved youth in San Francisco at Third Baptist Church, 1399 McAllister Street, Monday – Thursday 3:30 – 5:30 pm or Tuesday – Thursday 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Email Regina Herbert, Membership Coordinator, or call (415) 346-9316.
  
  
• Become an Apprentice Teacher with Spark - Spark matches middle school students with one-on-one apprenticeships in professions of their choice at local workplaces and complements this with a rigorous leadership development curriculum (flexible scheduling available). Spark volunteers receive comprehensive training and support and free marketing on Spark's website. Passion and commitment are required, experience is not. Email Sara Draffin, Program Manager,  or call (415) 626-5470 x199.
  
  

• Reading Partners - Books and Bagels - Bring your colleagues to a fun and engaging three-hour volunteer event, and learn how volunteering with the nationally-recognized non-profit Reading Partners can be both rewarding and impactful.
  What: After an orientation and informational session, members of your group will work in pairs to deliver a make-up tutoring session to a Reading Partners student using a fun, easy-to-follow lesson.
  Where: A Reading Partners public elementary school in your community
  When: A three-hour time period convenient to your group and the local school.
  Who: Up to 15 participants.
  Contact: Dana Blum, Development Manager or call (415) 420-5188
  About Reading Partners:  83% of low-income 4th graders in the U.S. do not read at grade level, and these students are four times less likely to graduate high school than their peers. That is why Reading Partners (RP) identifies K-5 struggling readers in local elementary schools, and recruits volunteers to tutor them twice a week for 45 minutes.

Reflection

• Are you a lifelong learner? If you are not a professional teacher, what can your role be to teach your skills and knowledge to those in our community?
• How does participating in this type of service reflect the values of Judaism, social justice, and human rights?
• How are you evaluating or processing your experiences in order to grow, or at least understand them better?
• Do you recall a specific occurrence from your service that involved some degree of conflict/difficulty? How did you deal with that?
• Did your service empower the recipient to become more self-sufficient?
• In today's world there are millions of people slipping and millions more who have already fallen completely. Knowing this, and keeping Rashi's commentary in mind, how can we help those in recovery or prevent more people from struggling? How does this idea connect with Tikkun Olam?

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  For inquiries regarding any of the above, please contact Community Engagement Director Sandy Rechtschaffen at (415) 751-2541 x 177