Our SAT Prep Program is a big commitment for everyone involved, including our staff, volunteers, and Community Partners. But the services this program provides make college possible for many New York City students who otherwise would not be able to afford crucial tutoring.

The students at Brooklyn College Community Partnership (BCCP) recognize that, and recently wrote a blog post highlighting the program. New York Cares partners with the BCCP to provide 11th grade students with free SAT tutoring every Saturday for two hours.

Make sure you read the great post, and learn more about our SAT Prep Program. Training for new volunteers starts in August for the 2013-2014 program, but you can sign up now to receive information this summer.

By Susan Torres

By Terry McGarrigle, New York Cares Volunteer

“Left Click? Right Click? Double Click?” . . . that’s what the new learners in our computer sessions want to know. Mousing is one of the hardest skills for adult learners to grasp, especially seniors. You need to be looking other than where your hand is clicking, there’s more than one choice, there is so much to visually distract you on the monitor – it all seems like too much to remember.

And while having someone to answer the question “which click?” is comforting, it actually slows down internalizing the task. When I am working with new learners I gently warn them that at some point I won’t answer the “which click?” question, so they’ll have to try one and see what happens, and then try another. This is very frightening because all new learners think that clicking wrong will wipe out all the data or cause the computer to blow up!

So while I stop answering that question, I am eager to answer all the others . . . and with patience and prodding, eventually the questions do come, as does the curiosity and the confidence. It’s exciting when a new learner realizes the breath of information available on the Internet.

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The new school year is well under way, and that means you only have a few more days to get involved in our Kaplan SAT program! The last training for new tutors will be next Monday, September 27, at 6:30 p.m.

We’re looking for volunteers available on Saturdays or weeknights at our sites in the outer boroughs. Sign up for training today, and within a few weeks you’ll be giving at-risk high school students the boost they need to overcome academic obstacles, increase their SAT scores, get into the college of their dreams.

J.J. Jackson first began volunteering as a way to take her mind off of things. But the distraction soon turned into a passion as she discovered how much she had to offer to fellow New Yorkers.

As a team leader at an immigrant support center, J.J. spends one day each week helping Arab American women prepare for the U.S. citizenship test. And when she’s not practicing English, J.J. is probably busy reading to eager children with special needs.

The experiences she has gathered from volunteering has given her something to smile about – and her help has given others something to smile about too.

Discover J.J.’s other projects here.

As summer approaches and outdoor distractions abound, NYC students can often use a little extra help making sure they stay focused on their school work and end the year with great grades.

We have several new after school Homework Help programs ready to go in Queens, but our partners at I.S. 5 Q in Elmhurst, Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities in Corona, and St. Michael’s School in Flushing have been waiting months on Team Leaders to launch these projects!

Help us get them off the ground – contact Priscilla.Lam@newyorkcares.org about becoming a Homework Help Team Leader. You can choose to work with students from kindergarten to middle school age, reviewing assignments and providing academic support through the end of the school year.

Be a part of the first ever Authors and Leaders program at M.S. 354 K in Crown Heights!

This new program will pair volunteers with middle school students to develop leadership and team-building skills and conflict resolution techniques through activities and reflective writing exercises.

Get your Saturdays off to a great start this spring – sign up for Authors and Leaders now, or contact Alaina.Hession@newyorkcares.org for more information.

Halfway through the school year, we hosted a happy hour for our Kaplan SAT tutors to thank them for their hard work so far and rally them for the remaining tutoring sessions this semester.

Volunteers, Team Leaders, and contacts from partnering schools and agencies came out to Metro 53 last week to meet each other, talk about their experiences, and exchange tips for keeping students motivated for the spring semester. According to one attendee, the tutors shared “plenty of insight into how to work with the kids, and it was interesting to hear different perspectives. It was also a great chance to network.”

Thanks to everyone who joined us, and we look forward to seeing you at the next SAT event! If you’re interested in getting involved in the Kaplan SAT program, contact kaplan.prep@newyorkcares.org.

This semester we launched a new program to help disadvantaged high school students succeed. Sophomore Skills is designed to prepare students for our longstanding Kaplan SAT Prep program, which provides SAT tutoring for 800 students each year.

Students in Sophomore Skills work with volunteers to get up to speed on basic math and English skills so their time spent with our SAT tutors in their junior year is even more successful.

Learn more and sign up for a Sophomore Skills project today!

Our volunteers tell us that one of the best things about volunteering with New York Cares is the variety of projects we offer. No matter how you’re looking to improve your community, we’ve got a little something for everyone. If you’re looking for more ways to get involved at New York Cares, you can help us launch dozens of new projects like these by becoming a Team Leader:

• Math Games – Review basic math concepts with elementary school students before or after school.
• Homework Help – Tutor students of all ages at one of several partner agencies in Queens, Brooklyn, or Manhattan.
• Yoga – Teach children basic yoga poses and breathing exercises on a daytime project in the Bronx or Manhattan.
• Food Pantry Distribution – Distribute bagged food to those in need in Washington Heights-Inwood.
• Citizenship Through English – Assist immigrants preparing for the U.S. Citizenship Exam through informal conversation.

Contact Takisha.Dozier@newyorkcares.org if you’re interested in any of these projects. View the full list of projects in need of a Team Leader here.

We kicked off a new partnership with the Office of Recycling Outreach and Education this weekend. On Saturday, 10 New York Cares volunteers braved the cold to hand out recycling information and free sort and store bags to low-income residents in the Bronx.

The project was a big success, and we’re planning many more volunteer opportunities with OROE to make New York City a greener, cleaner place to live. Contact Catherine.Kost@newyorkcares.org to get involved.