The mission of Interages is to create a more age-integrated community by promoting improved communication, understanding, and quality of life for older adults and youth. Interages serves the community by championing mutually beneficial volunteer opportunities for adults (age 50+) and youth to interact and learn from one another while fostering respect between generations and appreciation of diversity.
The staff at INTERAGES is committed to identifying the needs of students and senior adults in the community and developing programs to meet those needs.
Interages recognizes the existing needs of academically challenged students to include language skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening), self-esteem and acculturation. In addition, Interages recognizes the needs of seniors in subsidized housing, assisted living facilities, and day care centers who may experience isolation and loneliness. The following programs are designed to address those needs.
CURRENT PROGRAMS
BRIDGES – an after-school mentoring program, builds relationships between senior adults and at-risk immigrant students. Supportive senior adult mentors assist students with learning about our culture, improving communication skills and personal development.
DIALOGUES – presents opportunities for senior adults and high school students to engage in cross-age discussions involving various social and political topics of interest to both groups.
GRANDREADERS – a reading literacy program for students in 2nd and 3rd grades who are paired with a senior adult tutor to increase each student’s reading fluency, comprehension, and English language skills.
In 2009-10, Interages will pilot a Pre-Kindergarten Grandreaders program at three elementary schools. Adult volunteers will read to/with small groups of pre-K children from non-English speaking families during their classroom time, to help boost their exposure to and enjoyment of books and reading.
MATURE MENTORS at WINSTON CHURCHILL HS-Adult mentors are matched one-on-one with high school students (9th-12th graders participate) for ongoing personal and academic support, under the guidance of the special education coordinator at the high school.
SHARE – Students Help And Reach Elders enriches the lives of health-impaired seniors in adult day care centers and assisted living facilities by linking them with students in pre-school through high school to encourage interactive activities to prevent further adult isolation.
SMITHSONIAN POSTAL MUSEUM “HEROES IN STAMPS” -Pilot program in collaboration with the Montgomery County Recreation Department matches adult volunteers with 2-4 middle school students who select heroes, research their choices, and create “hero profile” projects utilizing the Smithsonian’s extensive ARAGO on-line stamp collection. Participants explore different communication tools across generations, gain hero-specific knowledge and research skills, and receive behind-the-scenes museum tour.
TEAM UP ADOPTEE MENTORING- Pilot program offers adult mentors to middle school students as they move through the adoption process with their new families. Mentors and students participate in several training modules together (cooking, photography, other) designed to boost students self-esteem and foster self-expression.
GLOBAL WIZARDS (on hold for Fall 09) – an after-school geography program. Students learn about the world around them using maps especially prepared for the eight-week sessions. In this after-school enrichment program, three students and one adult work together: students interact with their peers and learn cardinal directions, land areas on a flat map compared to a globe, and what constitutes a continent, country, state, etc. They measure distances, create animal charts, explore geographic neighborhoods, and much more.
POLICIES FOR VOLUNTEERS
Eligibility requirements:
1. 50 and older
2. able to provide/arrange own transportation
3. complete application and attest to no prior criminal record
4. agree to be fingerprinted for a criminal background check
5. attend orientation and in-service meetings
6. have a genuine interest in students and be able to listen well without being judgmental.
INTERAGES WOULD LIKE VOLUNTEERS TO KNOW THAT:
* experience is not necessary.
* the Program Coordinator or Volunteer Program Coordinator is present at each session and prepares activities for each session.
* you will work with one or two students, mainly in a group setting.
* to facilitate conversation with your student you could share your background, experiences and some family history.
* program sessions are usually 1-2 hours in length.
* visiting with your student in his/her home is not expected or required of any volunteer.
* volunteers may not spend time alone with their student until the results of the fingerprints are received by Interages. The results of the background checks could take 3-4 months. You will be advised by the Program Coordinator when you will be permitted to spend time alone with your student.
* a permission form must be submitted to parents for any activity that is not on the school premises.
* with the exception of Mature Mentors, all programs are held in a group setting with other volunteers, and Interages or school/program staff
* most programs meet once a week for the entire school year; a few meet once a week for 6-8 weeks.
SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS:
Guidelines for Reporting Child Abuse for Volunteers in Montgomery County Public Schools
In Maryland, the child abuse and neglect law requires that all persons are mandated to make a report as soon as possible to the Department of Health and Human Services when they suspect a child has been or is being mistreated. Only a suspicion of child maltreatment is needed to make a report. The law provides immunity from any civil liability or criminal penalty when a report is made in good faith. Because Child Welfare Services (CWS) needs first-hand information on the child’s words, emotional state, and circumstances of the disclosure, it is important that the first-finder make the report to Child Welfare Services.
If a volunteer in the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) suspects physical abuse, sexual child abuse, neglect, and/or mental injury, the volunteer should use the following guidelines to make an oral report to Child Welfare Services as soon as possible.
- Contact the Interages coordinator, child’s teacher, the school counselor, or principal for support in making the call. If no staff member is available before it is time for you to leave the school for the day, you must proceed directly to step #2. Calls to CWS should be made as early in the day as possible to allow adequate time to process the information provided.
- The volunteer should call CWS at 240-777-4417. Tell the CWS screener you are a volunteer and describe your suspicion, supplying as much information about the child as is available. The volunteer may give the school address/phone number rather than supplying personal information. A school staff member will then provide the call screener with additional information about the child.
- If a school staff member is not available, a social worker from the Screening Unit of Child Welfare Services will follow up to get the needed information from Montgomery County Public Schools.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Volunteers should make every effort to attend each program session. The students bond and look forward to seeing you, and often feel disappointed when you are absent. However, we realize that people will occasionally have health concerns, vacation plans, or unavoidable schedule conflicts. In these cases, please call your Program Coordinator as soon as possible.
We have a list of substitute volunteers who will be called to fill in for an absentee volunteer. If they are unavailable to assist, the Program Coordinator will help when possible or the student will work with another mentor and mentee.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
Interages strives to create a positive environment for all participants in our programs. Volunteers are encouraged first to share concerns and suggestions they may have with their program coordinator. If a volunteer is still dissatisfied and deems further appeal is necessary, or if the grievance concerns a program staff members, volunteers may contact either the Interages Program Director or the Executive Director to discuss the issue
SCHOOL CALENDAR
The school calendar indicates all holidays, early dismissals and teacher’s professional days for the 2009-2010 school year. Interages programs are not held on those days.
The Program Coordinator will keep you apprised of changes in the weekly calendar based on the school calendar. There will be occasions when your program will not meet due to early dismissal, teacher’s professional day, or a school-specific activity.
INCLEMENT WEATHER
* Listen to the local radio and TV stations for school closings during inclement weather. If schools are closed, programs are not held.
* We are not able to make up for a lost session. You will meet again the following week.
* If schools open late on your program day, check with your program coordinator to determine whether or not your program will meet. If you are in an after-school program and schools open late that day, the program will meet at the same time. After-school programs are not affected by late school openings.
SCHOOL PROCEDURES
* Name badge should always be worn when you are in school. School staff needs to be able to identify you.
* Stop at the office every time you attend the program to sign in and list the hours you will be in attendance.
* Introduce yourself and the program to the office staff until they get to know you. “I’m Sarah Smith with Interages.”
* Proceed to the assigned room for arrival of students.
PROGRAM IDEAS
To help foster your relationship with your student(s), take a few moments at home to think about what you might like to discuss with your student during any extra or unplanned time in your next session. The Program Coordinator will have planned activities but some time will may be unplanned for you and your student to get to know one another. Games and materials will be supplied. However, giving a few minutes of forethought about how to engage your student will help facilitate conversation.
You might bring in some photos of yourself as a child, a trip you enjoyed or an object that would make for lively conversation.
Or, you might enjoy sharing memorabilia, a fancy or silly hat, a special book, a letter or a newspaper article. These suggestions may help in “breaking the ice” and make it easier for you to engage the student in conversation.
DISCIPLINE
Do not physically or emotionally discipline children at any time
(hitting, pushing, using force or harsh reprimands).
Do not engage in any form of inappropriate contact with children.
(sitting on lap, stroking).
If a situation occurs which is of concern to you, please notify your Program Coordinator as soon as possible. Also, please see Page 7 for Montgomery County Public School Volunteer Policy on suspected child abuse/neglect.
CONFIDENTIALITY
You should not share any information about specific children or parents with anyone other than the Interages staff.
Out of respect for families that participate in Interages, we must treat meetings and experiences with families and students as confidential.
VISITING WITH STUDENTS
While most Interages programs are school based, some mentors in the BRIDGES program may want to contact their mentee after school or would like to visit with them during school break or summer vacation.
Parents must be contacted if you intend to call your student and a permission form must be signed by the parent before calling or visiting with the student away from school. In addition, the results from the fingerprint background check must be complete prior to any outside contact. Before moving into extracurricular contact with your student, discuss this with the Program Coordinator.
PHOTOGRAPHS OF STUDENTS
Photographs may not be taken of student(s) you are working with whether for personal use or for the press without a signed photo release from the parents of the student. Interages’ Program Staff will have information on status of photo releases.
FOOD/GIFTS
Volunteers should not reward students with food or gifts. We may not be aware of dietary restrictions due to allergies or illness that may prohibit a child from partaking in a special treat you have brought for them.
By the same token, gifts that are brought in for one student will exclude others and may cause hurt feelings.
During the program year, staff will build in celebration opportunities for the entire group, and will alert volunteers when a gift-giving opportunity is available.
IN-SERVICE MEETINGS
Depending on your program, the Program Coordinator will schedule in-service meetings for veteran and new volunteers.
In-services give the volunteers an opportunity to share experiences with other volunteers, address issues, obtain new information from the Program Coordinator and new ideas from guest speakers.
Volunteers are strongly encouraged to attend these session.
FINGERPRINTING
Interages performs background checks of all volunteers. As a youth-serving agency, we must protect both our volunteers and the students in our programs. Therefore, you will be required to have your fingerprints taken. At this time, Interages pays approximately $50 for each criminal background check, and schedules several opportunities to have this completed at our office by an off-duty police officer we hire for this purpose.
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