A charitable organization, founded in 1953, serving the United Kingdom and Ireland . The organization's onsite training of its volunteers is focused on fine-tuning listening skills and providing the knowledge and confidence necessary to support callers in crisis. This nonprofit organization based in California was one of the VV Projects Affiliates , and our web site features a very detailed profile of this organization and how it has involved online volunteers . In cooperation with the Virtual Volunteering Project , this pilot program brings together online mentors from all over the U.S. with fourth graders at this elementary school in Austin, Texas . Online activities focus primarily on reading and writing, and on establishing a positive, trusting relationship between online adult volunteers and the students.
Mentors give, but also receiving something in return.
Internet users both give and take online. We hope that this program will provide all participants, mentors and youth alike, with meaningful human connections. Teachers communicate with mentors regularly to suggest topics of discussion with the students, and incorporate the writing of e-mails to mentors into the student's class work and computer lab time. The project was designed adhering to the VV Projects suggestions for initial first steps for those considering setting up a direct contact service component involving online volunteers, and our suggested online safety standards . With additional funding, the online materials used by this program to screen and train mentors, which were based on a variety of resources and other online mentoring programs, will be shared via the Virtual Volunteering Project web site in early 2001.