Volunteer Opportunity - Digital Literacy Mentor, Empower MEdia - SFU Surrey TD Community Engagement Centre

Make a POSITIVE digital footprint by empowering children with the skills to become lifelong digital citizens.

The SFU Surrey – TD Community Engagement Centre has partnered with the Surrey School District Community School’s Partnership Department to develop and implement “Empower MEdia”, an after-school program focusing on digital citizenship for kids in grades 5-7. This project is being supported by a grant from CIRA’s Community Investment Program.

In an increasingly digital world where children and youth are expected to use digital tools for purposes of education, information, social connection, and entertainment, digital citizenship education is of vital importance to empower and protect young people online. The Empower MEdia program will engage students in grades 5-7 with important topics on digital citizenship in ways that encourage creativity, exploration, acquisition of new knowledge and empowerment. Topics may include but are not limited to: health and well-being online, privacy, safety, digital footprint, digital commerce, identity, relationships, communication/etiquette, cyberbullying, news/media literacy and social media wellness.

This no-cost after-school program will run at Queen Elizabeth Secondary School. Throughout the program, children in grades 5-7 will engage with Simon Fraser University students and Surrey School District staff in a fun, informative, and supportive environment. The program will be run once per week for two hours over a period of 8 weeks. We will offer two iterations of the program, one from January 19th to March 9th and another from April 27th to June 15th, 2023.

We are looking for SFU mentors to help implement this program, support the participants and create a safe and positive environment for the participants to learn, connect and have fun! 

Please note that this program will be running in-person at Queen Elizabeth Secondary School. Volunteers will be required to follow the latest Surrey School District COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan and guidelines.

Your role:

As a Digital Literacy Mentor, you will help set-up and run activities, lead students through the various activities and games, and generally be a positive role model for respectful and fun exploration and growth. 

In this role, you will:

• Attend all weekly Empower MEdia sessions and follow the correct set-up, clean-up, and sanitization procedures.
• Apply learned knowledge of the curriculum by coming up with new ideas for activities, or by altering existing activities to meet the needs and interests of the children you are working with. 
• Apply interpersonal, empathy and relationship-building skills by developing healthy relationships with the children in the program.

Other benefits: 

• Learn about the topic of Digital Citizenship and the foundational curriculum for the Empower MEdia program.
• Apply learned knowledge in digital citizenship topics such as digital literacy, rights and responsibilities, mental health, safety, healthy relationships, digital footprint, e-commerce, information credibility and more through implementation of activities.
• Acquire knowledge and skills in effective strategies for delivering content focused on empowering children to be responsible digital citizens.
• Gain experience facilitating activities in an afterschool program.
• Gain leadership and mentorship experience.
• Have the opportunity to engage with other SFU students.
• Earn credit on your co-curricular record.

Program Logistics

Dates: 

Empower MEdia will take place over the following semesters: 

• Spring semester: January 19, 2023 to March 9, 2023
• Summer semester: April 27, 2023 to June 15, 2023

We request that volunteers commit to the entire run of the program (until June 2023). However, we realize that scheduling and life circumstances may make long-term commitment difficult, so the minimum commitment you must be able to make is one full semester (e.g. January–April / May–June).

Day of the week: The program will run on-site once per week on a Thursday afternoon

Time: From 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Location: The program will take place in-person at Queen Elizabeth Secondary School (9457 King George Blvd, Surrey, BC V3V 5W4)

Mandatory Volunteer Orientation:

• Date: Thursday, January 12, 2023
• Time: From 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm
• Location: Queen Elizabeth Secondary School (9457 King George Blvd, Surrey, BC V3V 5W4). Room TBA. 

This opportunity is recognized on the Co-Curricular Record (CCR)!

The CCR is an official university document that tracks your co-curricular involvement at SFU. Learn more about the Co-Curricular Record at www.sfu.ca/students/get-involved/recognition/co-curricular-record.

Requirements

The successful incumbent should:

• Be currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree, graduate degree, or Continuing Studies program at SFU or be an SFU Alumni;
• Demonstrate effective public speaking ability with strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Cultivate a positive and energetic attitude and have a strong commitment to fostering a safe and supportive environment;
• Be ready to work in-person and follow all COVID-19 Health procedures;
• Be passionate about helping those in the community and making a difference;
• Be excited to work with people with diverse backgrounds and personalities;
• Have experience working with children or youth in an in-person setting;
• Be dependable, flexible and resourceful;
• Be prepared to provide a copy of a valid Criminal Record Check (this will be a condition for volunteering with us).

TO BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION:

If you are interested in this opportunity, please click the 'APPLY NOW' button below and submit your initial expression of interest.

You will then receive an email from SurveyMonkey containing our full application form which must be completed before the deadline below.

Deadline: Friday, January 6, 2023 | 11:59 PM

APPLY NOW

Please note: If the required number of volunteers for this program is reached before the above deadline, this posting may be taken down.