Why do companies offer volunteer opportunities to their employees? A great team builder, volunteering with a young person can be a breath of fresh air for the employee and pay important dividends for the student as well. Corporate Volunteer Team Programs provide a valuable opportunity for corporate employees to extend academic support to Cambridge public school students as well as promote career awareness through one-on-one communication and exposure to real-world work settings.
CSV works with businesses to match the interests and availability of their employees with programs that support the educational goals of the Cambridge Public Schools. CSV staff provide management services, including the facilitation of volunteer screening, orientation, training, program coordination, evaluation, and documentation.
> Tutoring/Mentoring Partnerships
NetPals/KeyPals Programs
NetPals/KeyPals programs pair adults with middle school students for one-on-one communication via e-mail. Adults exchange messages with their student partners in a friendly letter format, while students share assignments from a variety of disciplines, including science, math literacy, and language arts. The program provides adult role models, fosters the improvement of writing and computer skills, and increases career awareness through one-on-one virtual mentoring and three to four face-to-face meetings in the workplace and at school.
Reading Buddies Programs
Reading Buddies programs promote early literacy by pairing adult volunteers with first, second or third graders to read aloud weekly or bi-weekly, usually during the adult's lunch hour. Through training provided by CPS teachers and CSV staff, volunteers learn effective techniques for engaging children in conversation about books and helping them relate new words and concepts to prior knowledge. At a year-end celebration for students and volunteers, each student receives a gift book chosen by his or her Reading Buddy.
Tutoring/Mentoring Partnerships
Teams of tutors or mentors from Cambridge businesses and corporations may be placed in any of several supervised settings, such as academic Learning Centers or the CRLS Tutoring Center. Volunteers must commit to a regular schedule and agree to attend a pre-service training led by CSV and CPS staff.
Cambridge Systematics employees correspond as NetPals with 40+ sixth graders from the
The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory employees are matched as KeyPals with students from the Kennedy/Longfellow School. In collaboration with IBM and MIT, this program covers every 6th grade student. Draper Lab also provides speakers and tours to show students the wonders of space travel, aerospace engineering, and transportation planning.
Genzyme Corporation employees are paired with beginning readers as Reading Buddies at the Fletcher/Maynard Academy. In 2002, Genzyme's dedication was honored when they were chosen as the Model Business Partner of the Mass. Association of School Committees.
Grace is a participant in the NetPal program at the
Harvard Graduate School of Education employees and graduate students are matched as Reading Buddies at the
IBM employees are matched as KeyPals with students from the Kennedy/Longfellow School. In collaboration with Draper Lab and MIT, this program covers every 6th grade student and one class of 5th graders. IBM also runs a program called Project EXITE to introduce girls to computer technology. This is part of IBM's international Mentorplace initiative.
MIT employees are matched as KeyPals with students from the Kennedy/Longfellow School. In collaboration with Draper Laboratory and IBM, this program covers every 6th grade student. MIT also hosts the entire class of students and KeyPals from Draper and IBM at a festive year-end celebration attended by the mayor and school department officials.
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research employees are matched as NetPals with 35 seventh graders at the
Volpe National Transportations Systems Center employees are paired as Reading Buddies/Lunch Buddies with beginning readers at the Kennedy/Longfellow School. As the sponsors of the oldest Reading Buddies program, Volpe has set the gold standard for corporate involvement in education. Volpe also recruits employees to advise the Science Olympiad team at CRLS.