Be a Learning Friend today!
By joining our Befriending programme, you will be a member of a warm, close-knitted community where your contributions will make a difference to the children and their families!
Our Learning Friends
Our heart and soul at New Life Stories!
Role:
A Learning Friend is a trained volunteer who befriends our children aged between 3 to 12 (usually 1-to-1) through conversations, English storytelling, creative activities and play at the family’s home for 1 hour per week. The minimum commitment level is 6 months.
Objectives:
To build long-lasting relationships with the children, instill the joy of learning, improve their English literacy through reading, and boost their confidence and prosocial skills so that they can be school-ready.
Measurable Outcomes:
Behaviour and receptiveness, expressiveness, reading ability, as well as speaking fluency of the children.
Requirements:
18 years old and above, fluent in English.
Onboarding, Support & Engagement:
To start this befriending journey, we will email a Volunteer Application Form for you to complete. Once submitted, our Befriender Engagement and Experience (BEE) Team will invite you to a friendly onboarding session at our community space : Blk 64 Kallang Bahru, Singapore 330064.
During the session, you will get an overview of our befriending programme and learn what to expect before being matched with a child. Once your match is confirmed, a Volunteer Manager will be assigned to support you.
You will also be required to complete a monthly online feedback form to track the progress of child.
If you have any questions or just want to learn more, feel free to email us at [email protected]
Hear what our Learning Friends have to say about the Befriending programme
“I always believe that if you love and teach a child, as well as impart good values in their life, they will not go wrong when they grow up.”
— Baw Ai Hong
“Volunteering with New Life Stories has pushed me out of my comfort zone. It was not easy for me to adapt to a new environment as I take time to warm up to strangers. This experience has left an imprint in me, to be a better person not only for myself but especially for the children who look up to me every Saturday!”
— Zawani Ali
“When I found out that one of the kids really liked spider monkeys (he had seen them on a trip to the Zoo, and mentioned them at least 5 times in the hour I was there), I went to sleuth out books on monkeys in the library.”
— Lyn Lee
“Reading to the children has made me more patient and flexible. Also, as the saying goes – giving gives back – and this is absolutely true! I always feel so energised after meeting with them!”
— Cecile Gasnault
“The children are mood-changers. No matter how hard a day I have had, I always leave their home feeling better. Seeing their progress over time - how they have become stronger, more confident readers is extremely rewarding. As volunteers we think we are giving, but no, I receive and learn so much from them.”
— Sabina Fernandez
