DONATING just an hour-and-a-half of your time per week can go a long way to helping school children improve their education.
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That is the message The Smith Family is trying to spread as it calls for volunteers to assist with the Learning Club it operates at Barrack Heights Public School.
A nationwide scheme, the Learning Clubs operate during school terms and feature students working with volunteers to complete homework and other tasks aimed at improving skills such as literacy and numeracy.
"What we're after is anybody who is interested in helping the kids out," The Smith Family team leader Suanne Sneddon said. "We get a lot of retired teachers and young people studying education and we have a good relationship with the VIEW Club, but anybody is welcome to volunteer.
"The students who are involved bring along their homework and they receive assistance with that, but we also have other learning tasks they can work through if they don't happen to have any homework."
The Barrack Heights club can only accommodate eight students, but organisers would like to see it grow.
"We try to get the volunteers to be one-on-one with the kids, or failing that in small groups of two or three so we can get the best results," Ms Sneddon said.
"If we could get three or four more volunteers, that would be a huge boost for us and allow us to take on more kids who need a bit of help.
"It's been amazing to witness the progress of the kids who have previously attended the clubs. The support is often reflected in their improved grades."
The Smith Family is also interested in starting a Learning Club at Lake Illawarra High School.
"We're really keen for that to happen and the school's on board as well; we just need three or four volunteers to get it up and running," Ms Sneddon said.
"With it being a high school we might need people with a bit more expertise, but anybody who thinks they would like to volunteer is still encouraged to do so."
To inquire about becoming a volunteer, contact Ms Sneddon on 4260 9384. All volunteers must undergo police checks.