Alex Kurland, Staff Illustrator
When thinking about the different reading clubs on campus, two major clubs come to mind: UReading and Partners in Reading (PiR).
UReading is a program in which college students go into an inter-city school to help underprivileged children with math, reading, and social skills. Students are paid the federal work study wage and the group has about 45 undergraduates. It is slowly growing and becoming more prevalent on campus.
With similar objectives, PiR is a volunteer club dedicated to aiding school children in their reading. Their goals include bettering the academic experience for school students, promoting higher education by means of tutoring and mentoring, and encouraging students to pursue their goals through education. The organization hopes to improve the Rochester community by inspiring the youth to be enthusiastic and motivated about education. The organization has 50 active members and hopes to expand in the future.
UReading focuses on reading one to one with a partner child, planning and participating in fun filled but educational centers for the children, and getting to know your partner child throughout to year to see their growth. PiR, however, is organized differently then UReading. Members organize the day-to-day functions of the organization, which is split into Project CARE and Project REACH. Project CARE tutors attend School 19, and their schedule is determined by the relationship of the tutor and the assigned teacher. These tutors provide individual tutoring. The tutors of Project REACH travel to School 33 every Friday and tutor a group of students in different subjects.
What do both clubs hope to accomplish in the upcoming semesters? UReading is hoping to work with more children and help them improve their lives.
“I was lucky enough to still be able to see the partner child [improve],” UReading member and junior Sara Leung said. “It’s a wonderful sight to see how much he has improved over the past year and a half.”
PiR hopes to expand the capacity of its club.
“I don’t believe that community service organizations should be selective, and it is a shame that we have had to turn qualified individuals away in the past,” president of PiR and junior Abby Lalone said.
In the future, Lalone would like to either use more teachers at Schools 19 and 33 or expand to neighboring schools in hopes of taking on more members.
While these organizations have different methods of achieving their goals, both strive to improve literacy in the Rochester area.
Teitelman is a member of the class of 2016.
