Griffin School Partnerships seeks to empower youth through learning and programming that supports the academic and social-emotional development of K-12 students in the local community. The three programs supported by GSP — classroom assistance, mentoring and after-school tutoring — serve parents, teachers, students and William & Mary volunteers. By working with children in Williamsburg-James City County (WJCC) elementary, middle and high schools, we strive to improve academic performance by fostering their self-confidence and social development. Through the relationships we build with the children through tutoring and mentoring, William & Mary students also gain a deeper understanding and connection to the greater Williamsburg community and the struggles faced by those in the community. Their work with the children cultivates a sense of empathy and a mindset geared towards contributing to the lives of those around them. Not only do the William & Mary students and WJCC students benefit, our work also helps parents and teachers in providing an additional support system for their child. GSP is committed to serving all parts of the community.
* Any Impact Week project funds remaining after June 30, 2023 will be used for SUA programming and student philanthropy educational initiatives at W&M.
Their Project
This semester, due to COVID-19 restrictions, GSP has been forced to find another way to support the WJCC students without volunteering in-person at the various schools. We have opted to partner with the School of Education in a project called the Virtual Learning Partner (VLP) program. Through this program, W&M volunteers will tutor a WJCC elementary school student virtually for about an hour each week. Our organization wanted to get involved with this program for the semester because we feel it is especially important to show our support for the local WJCC students as they begin to navigate virtual school. Many of these students may have a difficult time to adjusting to the online format. Additionally, we are aware that there is great variability in the resources that these students have at home. As a result, we want to send a book and a personal note to each WJCC student taking part in our program this semester as a way of showing our continued support. We also hope that these books can serve as a topic of discussion between each student and their tutor.