Volunteering With Boost! West Oakland

Weekly Tutoring Session Hours:

• Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays - 3:00 to 4:300pm & 5:30 to 7:00pm
• Wednesdays - 1:30 to 3:00pm & 5:30 to 7:00pm

Click here to fill out an application

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Boost! West Oakland. At Boost, kids want to be tutored - they look forward each week to that special one-on-one time. Here you'll find more information on mentoring children or assisting in the classroom.

To join our family of 100+ volunteers, just complete an application, attend a training and orientation session, and pass a national background check.

Tutor & Mentor

Each tutor comes to Lafayette Elementary School on Market Street once a week, for a 1.5 hour session. Once a week for an hour and a half after school, each child in the Lafayette School Mentoring Project consistently receives the entire focus and attention of his or her mentor. Tutoring sessions take place in a dedicated space in Lafayette Elementary School; in this bright and cheery atmosphere, with organized learning materials, games, and other educational resources, students have work spaces, healthy snacks, and a cozy library area.

We schedule tutoring sessions every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 3:00-4:30, and 5:30-7:00pm, and on Wednesdays from 1:30-3:00 and 5:30-7:00pm. We always want to accommodate our tutors' busy work and personal schedules.

Each tutor receives ongoing training and support to implement individualized teaching strategies for his or her student. Tutors and their students may attend monthly field trips at no cost – they are arranged by Boost! to extend learning beyond the classroom and develop a mentoring relationship.

Mentoring Beyond the Classroom
One of the keys to Boost’s success in tutor retention is the fostering of mentoring relationships between tutors and students. Whenever possible, Boost! tutors are encouraged to move beyond the student-tutor dynamic and take on the role of mentors. Mentoring enables Boost! students to establish – perhaps for the first time in their young lives -- a positive relationship with a caring adult role model who provides them with support and guidance. Such involvement can be especially important for the at-risk youth participating in Boost! – young people from poor, struggling, often single-parent families living in West Oakland neighborhoods that offer few positive outlets for simply having fun. Of the 104 Boost! students in 2008-09, 49 are being mentored by their tutors outside of school.