Volunteer Opportunities with Durham Public Schools
Virginia Lee, Chair - OLLI Community Engagement Committee
OLLI's Community Engagement Committee creates vehicles for meaningful engagement in the Durham community for OLLI members. In addition to other opportunities, it currently has relationships with two Durham public schools, both in the Lakewood neighborhood, as well as a community organization that collaborates closely with the Durham Public Schools:
Lakewood Elementary School, a Title 1 school, in partnership with the Duke University Retirement Organization (DURO): OLLI volunteers provide tutoring, contribute to a Backpack Program that provides food for students and their families who need it, and assist with the tending of the School's garden. Many of these opportunities are on hold due to the pandemic.
Lakewood Montessori Middle School, a magnet school: OLLI volunteers provide tutoring and also present mini-lessons during periodic "Mash Up Days," Again, these opportunities are on hold due to the pandemic.
Student U is a community organization that uses the power of education to build a just and equitable Durham. It empowers and equips first-generation college students in Durham Public Schools, their families and educators to become the leaders that will transform our city: During the pandemic, OLLI volunteers conduct virtual tutoring on a range of subjects with middle and high school students. There are also periodic gardening days at Student U's campus near NC Central University at the refurbished W.G. Pearson Center.
For further information or to volunteer, please contact Virginia Lee, Chair, OLLI Community Engagement Committee, [email protected]
Lakewood Elementary School, a Title 1 school, in partnership with the Duke University Retirement Organization (DURO): OLLI volunteers provide tutoring, contribute to a Backpack Program that provides food for students and their families who need it, and assist with the tending of the School's garden. Many of these opportunities are on hold due to the pandemic.
Lakewood Montessori Middle School, a magnet school: OLLI volunteers provide tutoring and also present mini-lessons during periodic "Mash Up Days," Again, these opportunities are on hold due to the pandemic.
Student U is a community organization that uses the power of education to build a just and equitable Durham. It empowers and equips first-generation college students in Durham Public Schools, their families and educators to become the leaders that will transform our city: During the pandemic, OLLI volunteers conduct virtual tutoring on a range of subjects with middle and high school students. There are also periodic gardening days at Student U's campus near NC Central University at the refurbished W.G. Pearson Center.
For further information or to volunteer, please contact Virginia Lee, Chair, OLLI Community Engagement Committee, [email protected]
Michelle Norwood, Director of High School Restorative Practices, Student U
ClStudent U is a community organization that uses the power of education to build a just and equitable Durham. We empower and equip first-generation college students in Durham Public Schools, their families, and educators to become the leaders that will transform our city for the better. We support this transformation with an approach that combines three key elements: our whole-families approach to college access and success programming; sharing our best practices in education; and our commitment to supporting student- and family-led advocacy and change efforts in our city.
Whole-Families Approach
We take a whole-families approach to college access and success programming, which means that we consider everything that affects a student’s ability to show up fully and reach their potential. We work directly with parents and guardians to help them support their children; our additional family-centered services include increasing housing stability, supporting access to living wage or better jobs for parents, and increasing parents’ post-secondary credentials.
Sharing Our Best Practices
While we may not be able to serve every student in Durham directly, our ability to share what we’ve learned knows no bounds. We are constantly growing and evolving in our best practices working with first-generation college students, and we make sure those insights are accessible to Durham Public Schools, practitioners, and other key stakeholders. In addition, our teacher alumni are prepared and primed to take on leadership roles in our community.
Student- and Family-Led Advocacy
We support student- and family-led advocacy and change efforts in our city. Building a more just and equitable Durham requires that the voices of students and their families are centered in important policy-making decisions; we support this with strategic partnerships that help parents and students develop the skills they need to shape their futures.
Volunteer to Tutor
Virtual tutoring has begun. If you are still interested in supporting Student U students with your service of time and skills, please complete our Volunteer Tutor Survey as soon as possible and expect to hear from our Tutor Coordinator within 48 hours after completion. If you have any specific questions, please contact Faith Nelson at [email protected] .
Volunteer with the W. G. Pearson Community Garden
To combat the scarce access to fresh and healthy foods in our community, the W.G. Pearson Center operates a community and teaching garden in its backyard that produces fresh produce for our community members. You can sign up to volunteer with our Community Garden for one or more of the following Saturdays by filling out the signup form through the button below. A reminder email with relevant details will be emailed a week before the workday you sign up for. If you have questions about our Garden, please contact Connor Kirkpatrick at [email protected].
Click this link to go to the Student U volunteer page
Melissa Watson, Director, DPS Office of Student Relations
Durham Public Schools wants every student and family to feel welcome and have the resources needed to succeed. The Office of School Relations is dedicated to working with families. The Office of School Relations does not have supervisory or administrative oversight but serves as an informal, neutral, and confidential resource to assist parents and community members with school-related issues and concerns. The Office of School Relations is dedicated to working with families and community members and helping them navigate the most effective channels for resolving problems, complaints, and other school-related issues. In its commitment to family and school engagement , the Office of School Relations also serves as a resource to facilitate volunteer opportunities for Durham Public Schools. Please reach out to the Director of School Relations ([email protected] or 919-560-2505) for any help needed in navigating any aspect of Durham Public Schools.
Click this link to get to the DPS Volunteer Application Process
Dr. Helen Sunny Ladd, Board Chair, DPS Communities In Schools
DPS Communities In Schools provides the following three programs for DPS students.
After-school Programs
Communities In Schools of Durham offers enriching after-school programs at Eno Valley, & Merrick Moore Elementary Schools, funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Centers of the U.S. Department of Education. Open to 2nd through 5th graders, our after-school programs provide students with one-on-one goal setting, mentoring and tutoring, service-learning projects, experiential learning and educational field trips, and more.
For more information, please contact Director of Program Operations Crystal Avent at [email protected] .
Sustainable Living & Me!
During the 2018 summer, students at EK Powe Elementary School are participating in a pilot agriculture program, affectionately named Sustainable Living & Me! The focus of the program is on being responsible stewards of our environment through agriculture, recycling, and other sustainable living practices.
In Durham, there is a growing need for more healthy, affordable food options for families as neighborhoods try to navigate gentrification in certain parts of the city, and marginalization in others. Now, more than ever before, there is also an increasing need for more active community engagement and stewardship of our resources. We are hoping to empower students to critically think about some of these social issues that directly affect them through gardening, environmental conservation, and more.
Parent and Teacher Training
The Incredible Years:
Fostering Positive Parent-Child Relationships
Parenting is hard, even in the best of circumstances. Parents want the best for their children, but sometimes they need a little help or coaching. CIS of Durham offers the Incredible Years Parent Training Series (IY), which provides much needed assistance for Durham’s parents.
The program's goal is to help build a foundation of support at home that provides structure, consistency and positive discipline practices, which in turn will lead to increased positive behavior.
Communities In Schools of Durham is one of a handful of organizations in North Carolina implementing IY, which is identified by The Alliance for Evidence-Based Programs as having quantifiable, positive outcomes in family strengthening intervention and child abuse prevention.
The Incredible Years courses are designed for parents and caregivers with elementary-school aged children and are each a minimum of 14-weeks long.
Weekly classes, led by trained facilitators, stress parenting competencies such as monitoring, positive discipline, and confidence. CIS of Durham provides childcare and meals for families participating in the program.
Contact Susan Schmidt for more information. 919-403-1936 ext. 21 or [email protected]
More details on volunterring with Communities in Schools
volunteer_flier__1_.docx
Dr. Helen Sunny Ladd, Board Chair, DPS Communities In Schools
DPS Communities In Schools provides the following three programs for DPS students.
After-school Programs
Communities In Schools of Durham offers enriching after-school programs at Eno Valley, & Merrick Moore Elementary Schools, funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Centers of the U.S. Department of Education. Open to 2nd through 5th graders, our after-school programs provide students with one-on-one goal setting, mentoring and tutoring, service-learning projects, experiential learning and educational field trips, and more.
For more information, please contact Director of Program Operations Crystal Avent at [email protected] .
Sustainable Living & Me!
During the 2018 summer, students at EK Powe Elementary School are participating in a pilot agriculture program, affectionately named Sustainable Living & Me! The focus of the program is on being responsible stewards of our environment through agriculture, recycling, and other sustainable living practices.
In Durham, there is a growing need for more healthy, affordable food options for families as neighborhoods try to navigate gentrification in certain parts of the city, and marginalization in others. Now, more than ever before, there is also an increasing need for more active community engagement and stewardship of our resources. We are hoping to empower students to critically think about some of these social issues that directly affect them through gardening, environmental conservation, and more.
Parent and Teacher Training
The Incredible Years:
Fostering Positive Parent-Child Relationships
Parenting is hard, even in the best of circumstances. Parents want the best for their children, but sometimes they need a little help or coaching. CIS of Durham offers the Incredible Years Parent Training Series (IY), which provides much needed assistance for Durham’s parents.
The program's goal is to help build a foundation of support at home that provides structure, consistency and positive discipline practices, which in turn will lead to increased positive behavior.
Communities In Schools of Durham is one of a handful of organizations in North Carolina implementing IY, which is identified by The Alliance for Evidence-Based Programs as having quantifiable, positive outcomes in family strengthening intervention and child abuse prevention.
The Incredible Years courses are designed for parents and caregivers with elementary-school aged children and are each a minimum of 14-weeks long.
Weekly classes, led by trained facilitators, stress parenting competencies such as monitoring, positive discipline, and confidence. CIS of Durham provides childcare and meals for families participating in the program.
Contact Susan Schmidt for more information. 919-403-1936 ext. 21 or [email protected]
More details on volunterring with Communities in Schools
volunteer_flier__1_.docx