Volunteer to Help Yazidi Kids

Program launch: early January
Time commitment: one hour, twice a week
Note: this is a virtual volunteer opportunity (over Zoom)

The goal of the Literacy Tutoring Program is to support children in the Yazidi community to gain basic literacy skills. Roughly half of the community in grades 2-9 are functioning at very low literacy levels, after having been in Canada for 2-3 years.

Each volunteer will be matched with a child and will meet twice a week for one hour. If volunteers are comfortable, there is the possibility they could be matched with a group of two kids rather than individually. The program will last roughly two months (16 sessions), with the opportunity to continue. The tutoring sessions will be conducted over zoom and materials will be provided, however, minor preparation before each session will be required.

There will be two trainings before volunteers start, in which we will discuss the Yazidi community, basics of gaining literacy, and tutoring online. Volunteers will also be required to watch our trauma informed training before they start to volunteer. Volunteers will also receive ongoing support through group check-in sessions and an online sharing platform.

It is our hope that through intensive tutoring, we can assist these kids in gaining the necessary literacy skills to work through the Ontario Education System successfully.

If you have any questions, please email us at volunteer@jiastoronto.org 

If you haven't already done so, and would like to volunteer in this program, please fill out the volunteer application form!

Who are the Yazidis?

In August of 2014, the Yazidi population of Iraq endured a horrible and devastating genocide led by ISIS. Men were massacred, and women and their children were abducted. Canada was one of the first countries to respond, bringing over 1,200 refugees overseas to its shore. Given the trauma experienced by the community, many children are experiencing substantial challenges in learning the basics of literacy. This program is targeted at helping children build the foundations to succeed in the Ontario education system.

In the spirit of welcoming the stranger among us, as an agency founded in Jewish values, it is imperative that we act to support this community. 

(From JIAS Toronto)