We are always blown away by the way that our corporate partners and their volunteers go above and beyond to collaborate with Chapter One schools! Our Silver Partner FactSet recently welcomed pupils from Prior Weston Primary School in Islington to their London offices.

The FactSet team offered some exciting activities to the children, including making up stories about monsters in a hotel and designing bookmarks. They also gave the pupils a tour of the offices, which was very exciting! It’s so special to see the bonds that form between our volunteers and their pupils and how the deepening of our corporate partnerships can expand the children’s horizons even further by enabling them a glimpse into other worlds.

Kristine Lee, Associate Manager and Yasmin Truelove, Account Executive at FactSet are Chapter One online reading volunteers. They spend 30 minutes reading online with the same child each week. This 1:1 support helps transform the reading confidence and ability of the children they read with. We spoke to Kristine and Yasmin about their experience of volunteering with Chapter One so far.

What motivated you to begin volunteer reading with Chapter One?

Kristine: I’ve been a volunteer tutor for many years now. It started when I lived in the Philippines 10 years ago, and continued when I lived in Latvia for 4 years and then when I relocated to the UK. It’s been my dream to make a positive impact wherever I go. I’m passionate about learning and I wished I had a tutor to guide and help me when I was growing up. Now, I'm living that dream by being the tutor I never had.

Yasmin: When I was younger, I absolutely loved to read, and I still try to read as much as I can as I find it a great way to relax and connect with my imagination. When I heard about Chapter One and the great work you do I couldn’t wait to get involved. Being able to read is necessary to learn but helps even beyond traditional education, in encouraging empathy and reducing stress, so helping children to open that door was a key motivator for me.

What are the benefits of volunteer reading with this child for you personally?

Kristine: It’s very fulfilling knowing that I’m a part of this child’s learning journey and seeing how she has improved her reading since the start of the school year.

Yasmin: The benefits are endless! It’s so rewarding to see the child’s growth throughout the year and know that you’re playing a part in their development. Reading with my pupil is always a highlight of my week – I find that all my worries melt away when I’m reading with my pupil; their energy and enthusiasm is infectious and their resilience is something that I learn from every session.

How has being a Chapter One online reading volunteer helped you to develop professionally?

Kristine: It has definitely helped me to become a more considerate mentor to my junior colleagues - something I wish I’d had at the beginning of my professional career.

Yasmin: My reader has taught me many things that have helped me in my professional life: patience, resilience, willingness to learn, enthusiasm – the list goes on! Additionally, taking a break, closing my Teams and emails for 30 mins during the week to read with my pupil helps me to be more productive and creative when I am working.

How is your pupil getting on with reading now compared to the start of the programme?

Kristine: My pupil was quite shy initially but now she’s much more enthusiastic and vocal. She even relates the context of what we read with her everyday life - for example, we were reading a story about swimming and she shared that she can swim and isn’t at all afraid of the water! She has definitely developed her confidence and is less worried about making mistakes.

Yasmin: At the beginning, my pupil was a lot shyer and struggled to read words they didn’t know – rather than sounding them out my pupil would go quiet and wait for me to explain how to pronounce the word, but now there is absolutely no hesitation. As soon as a tricky word comes up, my pupil immediately spells out the word phonetically and tries to piece it together. I’ve been able to put them up 2 levels so far this academic year!

Whilst the most obvious benefit is in improving your pupil’s reading and confidence, there is also the fact that the pupil knows that there is someone else out there (beyond school, their family and friends) who really cares about their progress and is invested in their reading. Building strong relationships is key to doing well in school and overall wellbeing, so the fact that Chapter One provides pupils an opportunity to do this outside of their day-to-day life is great.

Watch this video to find out more about the Chapter One Online Reading Volunteers Programme!

How can companies get involved in Chapter One?

Chapter One’s virtual, time-efficient, flexible model for volunteering will enhance your company’s employee value proposition, whilst fulfilling CSR or social value commitments around education, social mobility and inclusion. Employees can:

- volunteer online directly from their desks with no travel

- make a direct impact on the lives of children from disadvantaged communities

- support local communities across the UK

- improve their own well-being by helping others

- reconnect with your company’s social purpose

If you’re interested in joining us, we’d love to hear from you! You’ll find out who we currently work with on our partners’ page. You can contact us here or email sarah.taylor@chapterone.org.