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- Ongoing opportunities
Make a lasting difference with our students by supporting them throughout their school year. The opportunities below allow you to meet with our students on a regular basis during the school day. Our team will find convenient times for your schedule.
Make a lasting difference with our students by supporting them throughout their school year. Our ongoing volunteer opportunities allow you to build meaningful relationships with students and support them throughout the school year. Whether you’re mentoring, tutoring, or assisting with enrichment activities, your consistent presence helps create a stable, supportive environment where students can thrive. Join us in empowering young people to stay in school and achieve in life.
Mentors
Serve as a positive role model and develop a one on one relationship with a student. Mentors offer support and guidance while emphasizing the value of education. Mentors meet weekly on a campus of their choice for approximately 1 hour, same day and time.
Ideal for individuals or groups
Tutors
Help students achieve academic success through support and encouragement. Students and tutors will be matched by CIS-SA staff according to volunteer’s strengths and student’s academic needs. Tutors meet weekly on a campus of their choice for approximately 1 hour, same day and time.
Ideal for individuals or groups
Pen Pals Program
Correspond on a bi-weekly basis with a classroom of elementary school students. This program helps students develop their writing skills while connecting them with a supportive professional. The school year begins and ends with a face to face celebration on campus.
Ideal for a group of 12 or more
Inspire U
Communities In Schools of San Antonio partners with companies across San Antonio to offer the InspireU program. This program connects 10-20 corporate mentors with high school students, providing them with workplace exposure while developing skills that prepare them for a future career. Businesses are matched with a local high school where students visit their workplace monthly during their four-year high school journey.
To get your company and staff involved in the upcoming school year, please contact Ilsa Garcia, CIS-SA Community Initiatives Coordinator, at cis.volunteer@cissa.org or 210-520-8440, ext. 225.
There are eight sessions each year, during which students travel once a month as a group to the partnering business during lunchtime. Our CIS-SA Site Coordinator will guide each 1.5-hour session with activities that include a lunch and social etiquette component, post-graduation planning, and time to develop the mentor-mentee relationship. Mentors serve as positive role models our students need to help them with their plans, showing them the value of an education. In a recent survey, our mentors reported they found it easy to engage with our students. They felt more motivated and productive at work, and they gained a better understanding of the education system and the obstacles that affect at-risk youth.
Corporate partners typically cover a minimal investment, including the cost of bus transportation and lunch for students. Due to the program’s structure, companies are asked to commit to supporting a class through their four years of high school.
We are grateful to the San Antonio Area Foundation and Bexar County for their additional support of this program.
Ideal for a group of 12 or more colleagues
One-time Events
Make a big difference in a small amount of time. See how you can participate in school events or by collecting items for students in need.
