This Volunteers’ Week, we’re celebrating the work of all our volunteer tutors and saying thank you to the people who make a difference. Today, we’re platforming Zoë Ashford, who volunteers at The Access Project tutoring Maths and Chemistry.
Zoë joined The Access Project in August 2020. As she prepared to go back to university, Zoë was on the lookout for volunteering to go alongside her studies. She saw The Access Project as an opportunity to make an impact on young peoples’ education.
Zoë volunteers one hour per week, tutoring A level Chemistry and Maths. As one of more than 1,200 volunteer tutors, Zoë is helping students increase their chances of placing at a top university.
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“The most rewarding part of volunteer tutoring is when the student starts to incorporate a technique or core concept into their thought process”, Zoë told us. “You can actually see that they’ve taken it on board”.
“It’s also fantastic when you’re really enthusiastic about a subject to see a student slowly start to catch that enthusiasm”, she added.
“Definitely apply to volunteer. You won’t regret it. It’s a very rewarding role.”
The benefits of volunteer tutoring go beyond student success. Zoë told us tutoring has helped them work on their own skills, including constructive questioning and patience. “There will be some days when the student is just not getting it, so it’s been really beneficial to learn to work around that.”
Volunteers like Zoë are integral to the success of The Access Project. With Zoë’s help, we’re achieving our mission to fight education inequality and increase young peoples’ chances of placing at a top university.