YOU CAN HELP: Tutoring volunteers needed for West Seattle school this fall

| How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(Photo courtesy Brad Ogura)

If you can break away during the day once a week, for one hour, you can help local students. Brad Ogura has done it himself and is getting the word out on behalf of Invest In Youth (for which he also serves as a board adviser):

Give back, support the local community, have fun by tutoring a student at Roxhill Elementary at E.C. Hughes, starting this fall! As a tutor, you’ll be paired with a 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader and work with that same student each Tuesday during the school year from 2:40 pm to 3:40 pm. This match allows you to see your impact on the student’s week-to-week progress.

No experience is necessary; just a commitment to help narrow achievement gaps and promote educational equity right here in West Seattle. The tutoring program is run by Invest in Youth, a nonprofit that has been working with Seattle Public School students for over 25 years, and after a brief absence from West Seattle the program is returning to Roxhill this fall.

Tutors typically work on math skills, reading fundamentals as well as being a friend and mentor to their student. Time is spent in the classroom after school ends with other student-tutor pairs, and a teacher as well as an Invest in Youth staff member is onsite and always available to help when needed.

Tutoring is offered at no cost to families or schools and Invest in Youth is actively recruiting volunteer tutors to sign up now. Both tutors and students consistently report that the program is a highlight of their week and an extremely rewarding experience.

Helpful Links: About Invest in Youth, FAQs, all about tutoring including an online signup form.

Contact Cherrise (CSmith@investinyouth.org) if you have questions.

Carson July 28, 2023 (1:12 pm)

I have known Brad for years. This is a great and rewarding opportunity, for both the tutor and students.

Big Bling July 28, 2023 (3:01 pm)

I have tutored with Invest in Youth for over 20 years. Being the adult that consistently shows up in their lives matters. There are no hard things to know, like “new” math – just being present and caring. This is a great group that makes it easy to tutor. Show up one day a week in the afternoon for 1 hour during the school year (with many holidays). These students are the most vulnerable. Being there for them shows them there is a world that cares. It may help them from being the ones everyone complains about on the blog. We all need to do our part in our communities.

K July 28, 2023 (4:54 pm)

I tutored through Invest in Youth for a couple years at Roxhill and I really loved it. Unfortunately, my schedule doesn’t allow for it anymore, but hopefully I can do so again in the future.

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