
Learning Buddies Network

Learning Buddies Network (LBN) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping elementary school students develop essential literacy and math skills through free one-on-one, after-school mentoring in a fun group setting. LBN reaches children who otherwise would not have the help they need. The goals are to enhance self-esteem through improvement in academic skills and to ignite a passion for learning in a safe and caring environment.
What's Involved
Pre-Service teachers should commit to
- Participate in the orientation during the first week of the programs
- Report to their Program Coordinator and Executive Coordinator
- Prepare lesson materials provided by the organization for each session
- Mentor their little buddy by using the lesson materials prepared
- Track their little buddy’s progress
- Attend mentor meetings
- Complete mentor reports
- Assist in volunteer recruitment
By volunteering with LBN, volunteers take on significant responsibilities and develop leadership, communication, and organization skills.
Requirements
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Learning Buddies Network’s mandatory volunteer training must be completed.
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Participants must have a criminal record check done before volunteering with children. Participants also need a current Police Information Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening. Students who do not already have a police check should begin this process online at their local police station as soon as possible, as police checks often take 4-6 weeks to process.
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Pre-Service Teachers must be located in Canada or Continental United States.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Apply a variety of mentorship strategies to support mentees’ personal, social, and academic goals
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Gain experience working with youth in a small group setting
- Model positive behaviour for children, youth, teachers, and parents
Werklund Dates and Times
FALL 2023 (Application is now closed.)
- Werklund Fall 2023 Wrap-Up Session: Friday, December 8, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm (Zoom)
- Fall 2023 Placements End: mid-December
WINTER 2024
- Winter 2024 application will open on November 20, 2024.
- Werklund Winter 2024 Orientation: Monday, December 11, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm (Zoom)
- Winter 2024 Placements Start: early January (program dependent)
- Werklund Winter 2024 Check-In Session: Monday, January 29 at
- 9:30 am - 10:30 am (in-person) or
- 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm (Zoom)
- Werklund Winter 2024 Wrap-Up Session: Tuesday, April 16, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm (Zoom)
- Winter 2024 Placements End: mid-March (program dependent)
Learning Buddies Network Dates
- Placements begin: early January 2024
- Placements end: mid-March 2024
- Orientation Session: TBA
- Training: Asynchronous
- Complete the math/reading and volunteer manual training sessions
- Sessions usually run Mondays or Thursdays
In total, pre-service teachers agree to commit to a minimum of 20-40 hours for their service-learning experience.
Making Connections
- Throughout the semester, pre-service teachers will curate their volunteering experiences using a creative medium (e.g., photos, art, storyboarding, videos, etc.) that best reflects their experiences in the program. Your creative reflections will form part of a public showcase of Werklund student experiences later in the year.
- Pre-service teachers will participate in 2 group meetings: one at the mid-point and another at the end of their placement (1 hour each). These group meetings provide pre-service teachers with opportunities to reflect on the community placement experience and to guide improvements for the program.

Winter 2024 applications are now open!
Ready to apply?
- Log on to Elevate and go to My Werklund Experiences > Courses/Programs
- Find the Service-Learning program and click Apply
- Complete the Service-Learning Application