Rochelle Bennie is a Senior Manager, Global Talent at our Silver Partner, Liberty Global, whose 30 volunteers have provided over 200 hours of one-to-one online reading support to Chapter One children so far this school year. We caught up with Rochelle to see how her first year of being a volunteer has gone.

Why did you sign up as a volunteer for Chapter One?
I really see the value that reading can bring not just to a child, but to an adult later in life. It’s definitely something I wish I would have been pushed to do more of as a child and even through my studies and I'm really trying to be disciplined in reading on a regular basis now. But for a child, I can see the value in it for improving language skills and also creativity.

There are so many benefits from reading that will take a child through their school life and their career. Even in my current role now, I notice people who are really extensive readers and those who were throughout their childhood, so I think the value of being a reader is immeasurable. I was really excited to sign up.

What are the benefits of being an online reading volunteer for you?
I think it teaches you softer skills, like patience. Knowing how to communicate with a child isn’t something I'm practising on a daily basis as I work in a completely different industry. It’s also something I actually look forward to every week, and it’s a welcome break from my general day-to-day activities.

From a professional point of view, a key benefit has been how it helps me think about how best to communicate something I might be asking or trying to get across. It’s about really knowing your audience. Obviously the audience that I work with every day isn't children, but you still need to be able to know your audience in terms of your stakeholders, your colleagues or senior managers.

How does volunteering with Chapter One compare with any other volunteering you do or have done in the past?
Other volunteering activities that I have done have been one day events, where you go and volunteer at a shelter, for example, but then you go back to everyday life. Chapter One differs because it is something you do on a regular basis, it's every week.

I can schedule a few extra sessions with my pupil if I know I'm going to be on holiday or there’s half term coming up - just to make sure we get that reading in. It’s something I plan - I have a look at my pupil’s classroom schedule and see when they are available, like it’s a part of my regular working week.

With that long term aspect of volunteering with Chapter One, there’s also a different kind of benefit in terms of the ‘good feeling’ you get compared to a one-off opportunity. I get to see my pupil develop over the weeks, months and hopefully over the rest of the school year.

How has your pupil been getting on with reading?
I’m reading with a little girl at the moment, and at the start, she was quite shy. We started reading on one of the lower levels, and then after a few sessions, I slowly started to bring her up a level. Now I'm constantly changing the levels and we’re getting through more challenging stories and activities. Seeing that progress and also her growth in confidence is everything. I get to see her remembering words she had previously struggled with, and mapping her progress. It's just amazing to see her development throughout the weeks and the months. There’s a real sense of achievement, both for her and for me, when we increase the reading level. It's pretty amazing!

What has been the most noticeable change in reading for this pupil?
Definitely confidence. We’re now reading books that might be 10 or 12 pages, versus the three or four pages she was reading at the beginning of the year. Sometimes we open a book and she's like, “12 pages, that’s so much!”. And in response there are times when I say, “Should we read this one together then? You can read a page, and I can read a page,” and we do that. But recently, she said, “No, it's okay, I can do it.” So that was a really proud moment, because it just showed how far she's come in terms of confidence. But I’m also proud that she didn’t need the help from me. I can, of course, read with her to make it easier, but a proud feeling that she wants to tackle it head on herself. I can see that with the games too; certain games are quite tricky but now she’s really happy to give them a go.

How else has your pupil benefited since participating in Chapter One’s online reading programme?
Although I think she has always been interested in reading, she was quite shy and reserved initially. I'd like to think reading is a bit more enjoyable now, as she can pronounce those trickier words and see her own progression from the three-page books we started with to the 12-page stories we get through now.

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.