enable young people aged 11 - 16 to improve their reading skills

Volunteering with Reading Matters

Join us and train as a Volunteer Reading Mentor and you will help us to improve reading skills and change lives. You will be rewarded with a tremendous feeling of satisfaction from the knowledge that you really are helping to support and inspire our young people.

The thousands of volunteers who have trained and worked with Reading Matters over the last 10 years have come to us from a wide range of backgrounds and for many different reasons. Perhaps you are retired or are a student looking for real-life work experience and/or a qualification– whatever your motivation we welcome your enquiry.

reading mentors needed All our volunteers are interviewed, CRB checked and trained before being placed in a school. Our comprehensive training will enable you confidently to work on a one-to-one basis with 11 - 16-year-olds who are struggling with their reading. These young people are often also lacking in confidence and may have poor self-esteem, so an improvement in their reading age and building a friendly relationship with an adult from outside the school environment can really help.

In return we ask for your commitment to visit your chosen school twice a week for two half-hour sessions per visit. These visits take place in 10-week, term-time blocks for three terms a year. In a full year therefore you would have the opportunity to work with and help up to six young people.

Accredited training

The Reading Matters training is enjoyable and informal and gives you the practical skills to be able really to make a difference. You can also gain a Level 2 or 3 qualification as our training course is accredited through the National Open College Network .

You will make new friends along the way, including the young people you will support, the staff at the schools where you are placed and through our network of like-minded volunteers. You will be provided with ongoing support from the Reading Matters team with 'top-up' training, support materials such as books and games, newsletters and regular meetings with your local group.

So if you have a passion for reading, want to inspire and support others and wish to join our growing number of enthusiastic volunteers – please contact us at our Head Office or call or email your local branch for an informal discussion. We can also send you a comprehensive information pack.