RSVP Seeks Volunteers

Spend your golden years teaching children the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. The Community Service Society Retired and Senior Volunteer Program is searching for volunteers, age 55 and over with an interest in diversity issues and working with elementary school children to be part of its award winning Prejudice Reduction Program in Queens.

The Prejudice Reduction Program utilizes teams of volunteers to teach kindergarten through fifth grade children how to get along. Team members can help small groups of students to participate in anti-bias education activities such as puppet shows, drawing exercises, watching videos, and group discussions designed to make them think about and understand the importance of respect for feelings, human differences and for each other. Training is provided. No prior experience is necessary.

There are many positions and time slots available. Volunteers can serve as little as one morning a week. We also have a Team Leader position available that offers a tax-free stipend of $256 per month for four half-days of service. Requirements for this position include good communication and organizational skills, an ability to work independently as well as part of a team and strong leadership skills. Team Leaders help to support the daily activities of the Prejudice Reduction Program volunteer team as they implement workshops in Queens by monitoring team progress and strengthening relationships with school personnel through frequent communication.

Training begins in late August. Contact Janelle Poe at 212-614-5548 or via e-mail at jpoe@cssny.org for more information.

Established 40 years ago, the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program has 8,000 volunteers who contribute two million hours of service annually to 600 organizations in New York City. RSVP is part of Community Service Society of New York, a nonprofit organization, which advocates on behalf of the poor in the areas of education, affordable housing, and health care. RSVP receives funding from CSS, the Corporation for National and Community Service, other government agencies, foundations and individuals. For more information on CSS's Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, visit www.cssny.org.