Monthly updates
Six learning assistants, and what mentoring is for
How the Center for Learning Assistance is designed — volunteer mentors drawn from the community, working on wellbeing as much as marks.
Learning assistance is child-centred and volunteer-based. The mentoring is designed to support, guide and enrich both the wellbeing and the learning outcomes of children in the village.
That means it works on the academic, social and emotional needs of a student together, through what a mentor can contribute that a class of sixty cannot:
- Supporting the learning process so it succeeds rather than stalls
- Building confidence and self-esteem
- Developing a positive relationship between child and mentor, in a place where the child is safe
- Encouraging and valuing the commitment of parents, caregivers and the wider community, and asking them to take part
- Strengthening the relationship between a caregiver and their child’s mentor
As of March 2021 the process was running through six learning assistants — community volunteer mentors — across rural communities selected on need.
