Mentor Volunteer Program
Volunteers provide critical support to our students.
Our flagship Mentor Volunteer Program matches volunteers with a Behind the Book program to follow from start to finish, acting as a mentor to our students and an assistant to our classroom staff. After students receive a copy of the book they voted to study as a class, volunteers will support students through a range of related activities like reading, writing, art, and forging a connection with the book’s author.
The time commitment is 1 school year (October-June) excluding all school breaks and holidays
Approximately 1 hour a week, ~16 hours total broken into two 8-week blocks
Consistent adult mentorship is essential to positive child development and volunteers with Behind the Book have the rare opportunity to plug directly into the classroom to support innovative literacy programs. In just 16 hours , you could inspire as many as 50 students to more meaningfully engage with both literature and the world around them.
Interested corporate groups can explore more engagement opportunities on our Partnerships page.
Volunteer opportunities take place during the school day in Pre-K – 12th grade
classrooms throughout Manhattan and the Bronx, and workshops run 60 - 75 minutes.
In addition to a short training video, you will receive workshop-specific
guidelines before each opportunity.
Both the teacher and PC are in the classroom
for the entire session, and teaching experience is not necessary.
Get Started
Please submit this brief questionnaire to share your interests and availability. During a phone call with our staff, we will gather the information needed to move you through steps 2 and 3.
Behind the Book will register you for GoPass, a fingerprint and background check system that screens volunteers working with vulnerable populations. Passholders can volunteer with the Department of Education and countless organizations across NYC.
Once you’re eligible via GoPass, you will be matched to a classroom program to follow from start to finish first in the fall and later in the spring. These matches will be based on your availability and preferences regarding geography, grade, and topic as much as possible.
New Volunteers
All volunteers must sign a photo release. If you’ve signed one in the past,
you don’t have to fill it out again.
