Helpers love working with ABC to read
COULD you help a child learn to read? As it celebrates 20 years of supporting children to read, a borough charity seeks more volunteers to help children learn crucial reading skills needed to progress in life. ABC to read helps primary school children who struggle with reading to flourish and enjoy it, with help from more than 160 adult volunteer readers.
The charity says its success is due to its core group of volunteers, serving their community.
Marcia Rowlinson, ABC to read CEO, said: “We have always been grateful for the investment of time and skill that our volunteers give to our local youngsters.
“We are also grateful that the volunteers themselves feel so invested in and cared for, as our latest survey shows.
“We love our volunteers as much as they love igniting sparks of interest in such a beloved and critical pastime.”
Volunteers are equally enthusiastic about working with ABC to read.
In the charity’s recent Annual Report, volunteers rated training and ongoing support very highly, with 96% finding these helpful or very helpful.
Supervision was even more highly valued, and said to be helpful or very helpful by 100% of volunteers.
Invited to share their ‘best moments’, they said:
■ “One child I have is from Ukraine and he was painfully shy but has grown in confidence so much - it is a joy to have worked with him.”
■ “Hearing that a child who wasn’t very interested in books and hardly read books at home, was then reading every night before bed, with his Dad.”
■ “When I was told the reading age improvement of my children that year.”
■ “Seeing a boy who, when I had him in Year 4, wouldn’t say ‘boo to a goose’ narrating the Christmas Nativity at the end of Year 5.”
Volunteers described feeling fulfilled and wellsupported, more confident, and privileged to share reading in a positive way.
Satisfaction of mentoring youngsters, and working with other like-minded volunteers was also prized, along with a warm welcome from schools.
In the same review, 97% of partnering schools said that children’s attitude to learning improved as a result of support from their volunteer, with 96% seeing improvement to children’s communication skills and overall well-being.
Improvement to children’s reading levels was seen by 100% of schools.
As part of their 20th anniversary celebrations, the charity wants to raise £20,000 to invest in the future growth of their work and to secure the legacy of lives changed for the future.
With many children now struggling with learning and anxiety following the disruption and isolation of the pandemic, support from ABC to read is needed now more than ever.
Lots of volunteer vacancies still remain. and the organisation seeks new volunteers to take part in training, and create more ‘best moments’.
Schools in need of additional reading support are also encouraged to sign up for ABC to read mentors.
■ For more information about training days or to join the scheme as a school or volunteer mentor, contact: info@abctoread.org.uk