With the loss of the school-organized day of service, Webster Works Worldwide, in 2018, students who want to give back must find their own opportunities.
The Student Literacy Corps (SLC) is one such opportunity. Beginning in 1990, the program was designed with a dual purpose: to supply underserved students with individualized, consistent tutoring and to provide Webster students with community work.
Through the program, Webster students of any major are trained and placed as reading tutors in schools in the St. Louis area, several of which are located in historically underfunded areas. With the help of their tutors, young students involved in the program can connect with reading and writing at a more personal level—one that their teachers may not have time to create.
“The student I was working with at the time was simply reading a passage … and his teacher looked awestruck. Once he was done reading, she turned to me and said, ‘You know, until you started working with him, he refused to even try to read.’ I had no idea I had made such a difference in his learning,” tutor Sage Hamilton said.
Kate Northcott has been the director of the SLC since 2001. She works with Webster students who serve as literacy tutors, placing them in schools with readers who need extra help or in classes with teachers who are overwhelmed. Tutors can participate during a semester or a summer term.
“I think we all have a desire to feel like we’re making a difference,” Northcott said. “When you’re tutoring the students you’re working with, they think you’re amazing and magical exactly the way you are. They don’t care what degree you do or don’t have. You’re helping them, you care about them and you’re making a difference in their lives.”
The SLC partially relies on donations to aid in tutoring. Not only are student tutors supporting the community, but others are volunteering to provide them with materials.
The SLC’s annual Children’s Book Drive collects children’s books and delivers them to schools and agencies serving low-income children and families. More than 27,000 books have been donated to those in high need since its start in 2001. This year, as of Dec. 4, the book drive has collected 2,578 books.
Tutors have the option to volunteer or work as paid tutors through federal work-study. To apply, or for more information, contact Kate Northcott at northcot@webster.edu.
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