There is not a lot that the majority of Americans can agree on these days, but one sad point of consensus that crosses political, religious, and economic lines is the belief that the nation’s education system is in decline and learning is not prioritized the way it should or could be by government, community, and in too many cases, family. The United Way has announced a plan to recruit one million volunteers to improve educational opportunities for the nation’s youth. The actual campaign, announced a few days ago, launches on June 21 (just happens to be the summer solstice) to sign up 1,000,000 volunteer readers, mentors, and tutors.
The Live United program makes it simple for you to sign a pledge and get stuck in, in a way that works for you. Volunteer as a family (must be at least 13 years old), as a group of friends, or as an individual…and to make it easy to commit, plug in your zip code here to find the opportunities nearest you. Since United Way is one of the most supported organizations by employers, check to see if there is already a program you can join at your workplace or place of worship…you needn’t reinvent the wheel, you just need to commit to kids. Lists of suggested books, hints about reading aloud, tricks to get over your shyness or hesitation…it is all addressed at the website. The site also boils it down to this:Â Sometimes kids just need someone who believes in them.
Change by Doing 