Opportunity type: Short-term Commitment
Role: Befriending, caring
District: Boroughwide, Astley Bridge, Bradshaw, Breightmet, Bromley Cross, Crompton, Farnworth, Great Lever, Halliwell, Harper Green, Heaton & Lostock, Horwich & Blackrod, Horwich North East, Hulton, Kearsley, Little Lever & Darcy Lever, Rumworth, Smithills, Tonge & The Haulgh, Westhoughton North & Chew Moor
Time of day: Weekday Afternoons
Does this opportunity provide wheelchair access? No
Location: Online
Description: Reading Heroes and Tiny Heroes Volunteering Summary Read to care-experienced children (2 - 4 years old, Tiny Heroes; 5 - 15 years old, Reading Heroes) Further Details Location We are based at Calderstones Park, Liverpool. Tiny Heroes is exclusively Liverpool/Merseyside based; Reading Heroes is open to all UK applicants. What We Do Our Tiny Heroes and Reading Heroes volunteers read with care-experienced children for one hour per week. Tiny Heroes is a face to face experience; Reading Heroes is primarily a face to face experience for Liverpool-based volunteers, but is conducted online (via Zoom) for other UK based volunteers. Our Calderstones Mansion-based team aims to match suitable volunteers with children within the care system, and allows for volunteers to read with and to these children via in-person or online sessions. Who We Are The Reader is a global movement built on the belief that great literature has the power to connect us, support our well-being, and rebuild social bonds. For over 20 years, we have been creating Shared Reading groups across the UK and beyond, bringing people from all walks of life together to share the joy and power of stories. Founded by Jane Davis MBE, The Reader grew from a magazine in 1997 into an organisation that inspires connection and reflection through literature. We’ve turned a simple idea into a movement, one group at a time. The Reading Heroes Team is based at the Mansion; here we look after the Tiny Heroes and Reading Heroes volunteers, aiding and enabling their journeys from first application to the end of their sixth month placement. Reading Heroes Reading with a child for any period of time should improve their literacy and reading skills, but Reading Heroes is principally a scheme designed to encourage reading for pleasure. We aim to provide welcoming and kindly listeners, and to provide a positive, supportive experience for the children involved. Tiny Heroes Provides a similar experience to Reading Heroes, but due to the age of the children (2 – 4 years), it can only be conducted in person. There is more of a playing element to Tiny Heroes, but we always use a wide variety of suitable books to focus the children on the pleasures of reading. Our Values Kindness, consideration and dedication are at the heart of the Reading Heroes and Tiny Heroes schemes. Current Opportunities Tiny Heroes and Reading Heroes are looking for dedicated volunteers to read with care experienced children for one hour a week. Duration of Engagement 26 weeks. Opportunities for extended volunteering opportunities Activities Reading and listening via Zoom or in-person. Benefits Connect with others; a sense of achievement; making a valuable contribution to society and to the lives of others How to Become a Volunteer For more information about Reading Heroes and Tiny Heroes, contact us at: Email: reading heroes@thereader.org.uk Phone: Rachel: 07483404812; Georgia: 07483404719; Stephen: 07535934589 Web: www.thereader.org.uk Application Form: https://www.thereader.org.uk/could-you-read-with-a-looked-after-child-readingheroes/
Requirements: Will require a criminal record check (DBS)
Email: stephenporter@thereader.org.uk
Phone: 07535934589
