Serve in a district school, and with Boys & Girls Club staff and district personnel, to develop and implement academic enrichment activities for the after school program that complement school curricula; identify individuals and groups in need of focused one-on-one or group tutoring and provide it to them; facilitate one-on-one and group academic enrichment activities; consistently work to provide a positive learning environment and promote the personal, social, and intellectual development of club members.
Service Activities
Members will provide academic interventions to targeted BGC students during the school day and after school program. At the beginning of the year the members, along with teachers and BGC staff will create a plan for each identified student. The members will carry out the goals and objectives of the plans. Each day the members will have a schedule of what students to work with. The students will be chosen based on previous concerning school performance; MAP Scores, Grades, behavior, etc.
Some examples of academic interventions during the day include; Working with a student, one-on-one, to introduce a reading concept, taking a small group of students struggling with a math concept and demonstrating how to put the concept into practice, listen to a student read a story that the class is working on, practicing a difficult math concept with a group of students using a YouTube video created by the teacher and working on letter recognition and letter sounds with a student, one-on-one.
During the after school program members will provide homework assistance, tutoring, mentorship and enrichment activities. Examples of activities during the after school might include; working with a group of students on their math homework, tutoring a student in a subject area, working one-on-one with a student to read aloud, planning and carrying out a physical fitness activity that encourages using math skills and doing a cooking club that requires members to halve recipes and work on fractions
The members will also have opportunities to participate in service projects throughout their service year. Some of the service projects will be; participating in MLK Day activities, World Peace Day and any other activities that will directly influence our target population.
Dosage:
Full-time members will provide approximately 23 hours of academic interventions and 17 hours of enrichment activities each week during their service.
Half-time members will provide approximately 15 hours of academic interventions and 10 hours of enrichment activities each week during their service.
Community Need Addressed
The Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence proposes to have 7 full-time and 19 half-time AmeriCorps members who will work directly with Lawrence school district personnel and Boys & Girls Club staff to provide academic interventions to targeted students in all 15 Boys & Girls Club after program sites. The AmeriCorps members will be responsible for serving 800 youth and ensuring that the student meets the expected gain in knowledge. In addition, the AmeriCorps members will leverage an additional 20 volunteers will be engaged in assisting with academic interventions.
Position Outcomes
Below is a list of benchmarks related to each performance indicator and data that will be gathered to assess each objective and outcome.
1. 800 students will enroll for the program. This will be measured by daily program attendance and disciplinary records.
2. 560 students will complete 90 days of Power Hour. This will be measured by daily program attendance and disciplinary records.
3. 520 students will achieve more than the expected gain (7 months) in reading and 520 students will achieve more than the expected gain (7 months) in math Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing and teacher grades. Test results and grades will be collected. Results will be presented and preserved as a baseline for comparative purposes. Subjective data measurements will be collected and reported, including site visit and program observation, as well as parent, teacher and student surveys.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Stipend, Training
Education Benefits
College Degree
Skills you will gain
CPR/First Aid, Program Planning, Collaboration with School District Personnel, Positive Behavior Management
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, Lead group discussion, Listen to and consider others' viewpoints, Maintain open lines of communication with others, Speak clearly, in precise language and in a logical, organized and coherent manner, Turn taking, Write cleary and effectively
Creativity & Problem Solving
Able to identify and define the problem, Capable of generating possible solutions, Communicate the problem to appropriate personnel, Improvise, Provide relevant expertise, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
Derive consensus, Develop constructive working relationships and maintain them over time, Establish a high degree of trust and credibility with others, Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers, Stay positive and outcome oriented, Use appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow
Decisions
Accepts responsibility, Anticipate the consequences of decisions, Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them, Quickly respond with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss
Tools
Carefully consider which tools or technological solutions are appropriate for a given job, Consistently choose the best tool or technological solution for the problem at hand, Operate tools and equipment in accordance with established operating procedures, safety standards, and ethical guidelines, Seek opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity
Planning
Able to prioritize various competing tasks, Create environment of contribution, Create plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently, Drive decision making, Effectively delegate tasks, Facilitate group planning, Set goals
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Honor the privilege of being able to work with and for those being served, Provide personalized, prompt, and efficient service to meet the requirements, requests and needs of customers, Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of those being served, Understand and anticipate the needs of others, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization, Understand the significance of maintaining a healthful and safe environment