Volunteers & Mentors

There are many ways to help the girls of Sophia Academy.

While we welcome monetary donations to offset our operating expenses, direct involvement in the education of our girls is just as important.

Here are a few ways to get involved. For more information about volunteering opportunities, please contact the Main Office at 784-0021. 

Career Day

For Career Days, we invite women professionals and college students to conduct a workshop about their career or major. The goal of this project is to expose 7th and 8th graders to a diverse array of job opportunities and encourage students to "dream big".

The best workshops are those that are informative and involve student participation. Workshops last 20 minutes long and participants will give 2 sessions in the course of 1 afternoon.

“I like Career Days because they get us thinking about how important the future is, and how successful we can be if we work hard.”

- 8th grade student, 2004

“I can’t let another day pass without thanking you for including me in Career Day.  I was honored to be among such an impressive panel of accomplished women.  Every moment was positive.  If pressed to name a disappointment, I would say that I wished I could have attended all the workshops. Please convey my thanks to all the girls.  Their enthusiasm and interest helped to put this nervous first-timer at ease.”

- 2004 Career Day presenter

Mentoring

Our mentor program is a school based program that matches students with women who share similar interests or career aspirations. Sophia Academy Mentors are role models, friends, and confidants to our students. We appreciate their commitment so much!

We are currently recruiting mentors for 5th graders. We need mentors who like kids, are good listeners, are culturally sensitive and support our mission of empowering low-income girls.

Mentors receive a 2 hour training through Rhode Island Mentoring Partnership and support throughout the school year. Mentors must be able to come to the school for 1hr/week during the school day. Meeting times are flexible.

"I trust my mentor and I feel very respected by her."

-8th Grade Student

“I enjoyed working at Sophia Academy and with my mentee.  We had a great relationship.  We talked, laughed, reviewed projects; had use of computer and talked generally about nothing.  I felt it was a great release of stress and social pressures.  I noticed she was excited when she saw me come into the room.”

-Mentor of 8th grader, 2003-4

Other Volunteering Opportunities

• Fundraising Event - help obtain donated auction items, decorate, setup and breakdown, hospitality, registration, checkout
• Refer women to Career Days or the Mentor Program
• Handy Person - a volunteer to do minor repairs; help with heavy lifting; etc.
• Tutor students in Reading, Writing or Math
• Help with mailings
• Design a project to enrich/educate/uplift students or parents
• Facilitate a professional development workshop for teachers and staff
• Speak at a Parent Resource Meeting- offer resources or information about programs/services of interest to parents
• Parent Advocate- help coordinate the parents, support them on school issues, explain programs, etc.
• Run an after-school program: It can be a one time workshop or an on-going series. The programs can be open to students only or students and parents. (Ideas below)
  • Music and Dance (jazz, rock, blues, hip-hop, etc.)
  • Ethnic Cooking
  • Jewelry Making
  • Knitting
  • Crafts
  • Parenting classes
  • Computer skills
  • Drawing
  • Tax preparation
  • Basic financial skills/money management (balancing a checkbook, paying bills, budgeting)
• Donation Coordinator: to act as a centralized point person for all non-money donations to the school.  This person can keep a master list of our needs (such as specific supplies that the teachers may request, copy paper, office supplies, special project needs, electronics, etc.) and coordinate deliveries. This would alleviate a lot of the duplicates that we receive, especially all of the school supplies at the beginning of the year. 
• Provide Computer Training (for parents or students)
  • Basic Word (formatting, mail merge, etc.)
  • Basic Excel (spreadsheets)
  • Power Point Presentations
  • Publisher

If interested in volunteering, please contact the Main Office at 784-0021 . Thanks!