Last week, we published a blog explaining the impact of Libraries Plus, a programme designed to support students to tackle educational inequality in their local community by offering homework and tutoring sessions in libraries.
So what does Libraries Plus actually look like on the ground for the students who volunteer as part of the programme? We asked Sahiba Rahman, Southampton Hub student coordinator, for her thoughts on the programme:
I first became involved with Libraries Plus as a volunteer tutor during 2021-22; if you may remember, a lot of the academic year was virtual and so Libraries Plus had adapted to doing online Zoom sessions. As a few of my classes were online, I felt a little distanced from my university community but Libraries Plus was a great opportunity to meet other fellow students, gain invaluable teaching and communication skills and give back to the local community.
This year, all of our sessions have been in the local libraries of Southampton, who have, as always, been ever so welcoming and supportive of the project. At the start of the year, I made sure to promote Libraries Plus as much as I could so that we could have a good balance of volunteers tutors to pupils – I had stressed very much that I did not want to turn any pupil down this year to ensure we could give back to the local community as much as possible. This was done through a medium of posters displayed in the local libraries, with a QR code and link for parents to sign up their children for sessions, and constant promotion on social media and university group chats to get volunteer tutor sign ups, along with Freshers’ Fair and campus promotions. The volunteers then attended Selection and Training sessions to learn about safeguarding and the expectations of their roles, along with securing their DBS checks. It was then my job to organise everyone’s details on a volunteer-pupil database to match up everyone for their sessions. Sometimes the spreadsheet would look a little messy, with all my highlights and bolding and notes, but I always kept it updated!
I am glad to say that this term we have had 14 volunteers, plus myself, supporting 35 young pupils across 142 hours of volunteer time in Southampton. Most volunteers provided two hours of tutoring per week and I kept a regular eye on my emails and text messages in case a volunteer or student couldn’t make it – we had enough room to shuffle about the rota when needed, without compromising any learning time. I’d say that’s a pretty good first term of the year! Our numbers are looking to be the same for this upcoming term, so after a well deserved Christmas and New Year break, I can’t wait to rejoin my fellow volunteers to continue working with our pupils.
For pupils, parents and volunteers alike, Libraries Plus is an extremely rewarding and enriching project. At the start of term, a volunteer who is an international student was wary about their English speaking skills: by the end of term, they let me know how much their confidence and social skills had bloomed. Throughout the weeks, parents constantly let me know how pleased they were with the project and how valuable the tutoring had been for their children, who just needed that little bit of extra help to unlock their full potential: at the end of term, a parent emailed me stating that Libraries Plus was a “great contribution in children’s future by providing them tuition and a habit to visit the library regularly.”
I am so proud of everyone involved with making Libraries Plus a success and so grateful to be part of such a rewarding and valuable project. I can truly say I have developed so many skills, such as communication, data collection and record keeping, teaching and patience, and I cannot wait to get back into it all for our second term.
What’s next?
Over the past five years we have clearly seen the need for Libraries Plus in Southampton, and the impact it can have on the young people, students and spaces involved. The next step is thinking about how this support can be scaled up across the country. More libraries and community spaces should be partnering with charities and groups to utilise their space in a way which is directly beneficial for young people in the local community.
If you enjoyed this blog, you can read more about how Libraries Plus helps to tackle educational inequality.