Suas Literacy Support Programme

Suas Literacy Support Programme has developed into a nationwide programme of tailored interventions designed to tackle literacy difficulties and educational disadvantage at a local level whilst engaging literacy mentors ( students, corporate and community) in structured service learning opportunities. Working in partnership with community organisations, schools, corporations and university organisations/bodies, together with Suas College Societies, the Suas Literacy Support Programme works at the ‘coal face’ providing direct literacy and learning support to children and young people from disadvantaged / marginalised communities to enhance their educational attainment (in particular literacy levels), to improve their self-esteem, to foster positive attitudes to learning, to support them in making the transition from Primary to Secondary and to encourage them to aspire to Third Level education.

What's Involved

Suas Literacy Support Programme recruits volunteers and trains them to be literacy mentors. Supported by expert research on literacy teaching and using assessment tools with a strong evidence base, volunteers are trained to improve the literacy levels of 8-14 years olds in DEIS schools (Delivering Equality of opportunity in Schools is an initiative designed to address educational disadvantage in Irish schools). Volunteers are required to attend a weekly one-on-one session (approx 1.5 hours - to include travel time) with the same child for 8 weeks. During these sessions the volunteer and the child read aloud together. This intervention, known as Paired Reading, builds confidence and has been scientifically proven to improve literacy.

Research shows that Paired Reading is most effective when delivered in short, frequent, one-on-one sessions. The success of the programme relies on both mentor and child attending all sessions, therefore it is vital that volunteers are available to mentor for the full 8 weeks.

We are currently recruiting volunteers/mentors for the following Literacy Support Programmes for school year 2012/2013.