During the 2024-2025 academic year, Cristo Rey is partnering with Blessed Sacrament Youth Center to connect students to weekly volunteer mentoring opportunities. BSYC is a community center that provides a, “…safe, healthy, and supportive after-school environment for young people ages 7-17 that fosters the essential leadership skills and character they need to improve in school, while surviving the challenges of underserved and violent neighborhoods,” (www.bsyc.org).
To facilitate the completion of the 20-hour service requirement, we have arranged 2 sessions during the year, which the students will attend to serve on a recurring day of the week. Each volunteer service day starts at 4:30 pm and ends at 6:30 pm. By the end of the session, the student will have completed their 20-hour service requirement. A session consists of 5 student volunteers a day. Please note that Cristo Rey does not provide transportation. Students will be mentoring younger students, helping them with homework, and helping with other after school activities.
The schedule aligns differently from the Cristo Rey service deadlines, and the student volunteer participant would follow each session's deadlines. Students are required to complete the end-of-the-year service reflection by May 10. The last session of the year will receive an extension to Friday, May 17, due to the date the session ends. The students' religion teacher and Miss Juarez/Miss Perez will oversee who is participating; therefore, the students will not get penalized for missing the schoolwide deadline. The BSYC student volunteer participant follows the volunteer program's deadline only.
Pre-application: Complete this interest survey.
Step #1: Apply and choose a service session.
There are 2 sessions per year and each session is 10 weeks (about 2 and a half months) long. Each participant will complete ONE session of 2 hours (4:30 pm-6:30 pm). Via the Cristo Rey application form rank your top choices for the session and day of the week you are most interested in. Your first choices are not guaranteed, but Ms. Perez will do her best to work around your schedule. Make sure you let her know if you have any concerns or possible time conflicts.
Step #2: Attend your orientation.
Each session begins with a group orientation at Blessed Sacrament Youth Center. At this after-school meeting you will receive important details, guidelines, and you will also be given any paperwork that needs to be completed for the BSYC. Finally, you will have a chance to meet the other students at your site, so that you can plan to travel together each week.
Step #3: Serve.
You will return to BSYC, on the same day, at the same time for TEN weeks.
BSYC is within a 15-minute bus ride or 11-minute car ride from Cristo Rey. Please note that some of the volunteer dates happen during no school days or half days, so please plan accordingly.
You will be asked to sign in and out on a sign in sheet at BSYC. At the end of the session, please make sure to take a picture of the log and submit your 20 hours total on MobileServe.
Step #4: Submit your reflection
After completing 10 weeks of service, please follow the reflection project steps on the service page. The deadline for this reflection is May 10 for sessions 1; the deadline for session 2 is May 17.
Make Up Days: If you happen to miss one day, which is okay, please let me know in advance to communicate with BSYC. Plan to make-up your missed day as soon as possible on another date during your session.