Humanitarian: Children's Center After-School Volunteers
Applications accepted on a rolling basis
ARDC runs a Shelter, located in South Tel Aviv for vulnerable refugee women from Eritrea, those that are pregnant or single mothers. All the residents receive secure accommodation, food, clothing and with our help, access to basic public services, including among other things medical care, nurseries and schools. We focus on developing an individual self-sufficiency plan and help them find long-term housing solutions and employment. We also provide ongoing support when residents move out of the shelter into independent accommodation.
The Children’s After School Program is a new venture for 2013, aiming to support the children who live in the shelter and the neighbourhood by providing help with homework, education and fun activities. The After School Program currently supports the older children in the shelter, soon to be expanded to the younger children and neighbouring families.
Responsibilities
• Volunteers will be paired with two or three teenage boys from the ARDC Shelter.
• Each volunteer will liaison between home and school and understand the particular weaknesses and strengths of their children. Volunteers will be responsible for making sure that the children under their jurisdiction participate in activities whenever they run.
• Volunteers will help the children with homework, provide fun activities (organised with help from the program Coordinator) and provide emotional support.
• Volunteers must be in contact with each of their children’s teachers. They must be prepared, whenever necessary, to read or write short reports that will be agreed upon with the individual teacher and support worker.
• At the end of each session, volunteers are asked to write a short summary of their experiences of that day. Any problems they encountered as well as any good experiences will be recorded and sent to the Program Coordinator by the end of the day.
Requirements:
• Volunteers for this project will be asked to commit to at least seven months once or twice a week. It always takes time for things to run smoothly and we would like you to make a long and worthwhile connection with these very special teenagers.
• Because this program is primarily homework help, volunteers are required to speak/read and write fluent Hebrew.
• It would be ideal if the volunteer attended Israeli schools so that she/he can navigate curriculum and the system easily.
• A background in education or experience working with children preferred.
• Most of all, volunteers must like working with teenagers and must be able to have fun.
