Volunteer Spotlight: the joy of reading online with Jan

Meet Jan

An active volunteer from East Sussex, Jan has been reading with children across the country since September 2020 and has completed over 330 online sessions to date.

Following a car accident Jan has limited mobility, so she was very happy to discover Bookmark’s Online Volunteer Reading Programme. It offers an accessible route to volunteering and provides flexibility around work and other interests.

Since starting as a Bookmark volunteer, Jan has helped over 20 children learn to read across 40 reading programmes. She’s helped them to improve their ability to read, their enjoyment of reading and building their confidence so they can go on to have a fair chance in life. 

What’s been your experience of volunteering with Bookmark?

“I’ve read with several very reluctant readers but have found with perseverance you can usually win them round so they can benefit. I think if you’re a new volunteer just try and relax, enjoy your sessions and be a kid with them sometimes – one of my readers recently told me that I was very silly!’ 

What do you enjoy about volunteering?

“I’ve read with children who were based in Hastings, to Leeds, Manchester to Oxford. It’s widened my knowledge of young people, of different religions and different life stories. I’ve really enjoyed going away after a reading session and learning more about a holiday a child has told me they celebrated over the weekend.”

“It’s given me a new appreciation of the children I work with and their successes and struggles. It’s also so much fun hearing what the children aspire to be when they grow up, and how that often relates back to the books they enjoy reading.”

Volunteering with Bookmark

In your opinion, what are the top three benefits of volunteering with Bookmark?

• Discovery: a has been a chance for me to learn about the lives of young people, while also providing them with space to discover just how much fun reading can be.
• Active mind: it’s provided me with a fantastic opportunity to maintain a connection with teaching, especially when it comes to thinking about how to ignite a pupil’s passion for reading in the first few sessions.
• Transformation: seeing how each pupil progresses with their reading is a heartwarming and enjoyable experience, especially as no two pupils are the same. 

Have you got a memorable volunteering experience?

“A bright, willing to try and happy young man once told me his favourite book was Spiderman because the story itself includes books. 

That, and the double thumbs up at the end of our reading sessions to say he’s enjoyed it, is always a good sign you’ve made a difference that day”

What advice would you give to a new Bookmark volunteer?

“Other than making sure you enjoy it, because it is a lot of fun to do, I would say that fine tuning your observation skills will help you a lot. I’ve learned that once I spot why a pupil isn’t interested in reading, or seeing them get more engaged during the activities part of the session, can be the key to unlocking their excitement for reading.

I once did a bit of extra homework to learn about the different types of turtles for a story about diving. That really helped me to add in some interesting facts during the reading session.”

Are you ready to become an online volunteer?

Has Jan inspired you to become one of our growing team of online reading volunteers? 

Discover more about Bookmark’s volunteer programme at one of our upcoming online information sessions.