DC Tutoring and Mentoring Initiative. Research Proposal

DC Tutoring and Mentoring Initiative
Student’s Name
Institution
Course
DC TUTORING AND MENTORING INITIATIVE
Abstract
Volunteers are increasingly being relied upon to provide tutoring and, mentorship services and this presents several unique challenges to the majority of the nonprofit organizations in Colombia yet it is not clear what motivates people to volunteer as tutors and mentors. Drawing on the functional theory on volunteer motivations, this study uses data from qualitative interviews with 65 volunteers for tutoring and mentorship programs in Colombia to explore some of the factors that motivate volunteers and ways a nonprofit organization can get them. The findings show that complex motivations are needed for effective volunteering in mentorship and tutoring programs. In addition, consistent with functional theorizing, the majority of the volunteers reported having more than one factors of motivations for enrolling as volunteers. Of the 13 categories of motivations identified, those relating to humane concerns for others and community, employment or career benefits and a desire by the unemployed to avoid idleness were mentioned frequently. Volunteers also saw volunteering as an opportunity to learn and acquire caring skills while others saw it as a way of putting their own skills to good use, and for personal growth. A few of the volunteers were paying attention to a religious call with the hope of gaining community recognition. Some of the challenges portrayed in the mentorship and tutor organizations like poor understanding of volunteer motives, a disparity between organizational goals and the motivations of volunteers, and inadequate resources and funding meant that volunteer’s most pressing purposes were not satisfied. This led to discontentment, resentment, and wear and tear among volunteers. The information acquired about volunteer motivations could help organizations plan recruitment messages, and recruit volunteers whose motives match organizational goals and plan how to help volunteers to satisfy these motives. This can reduce antipathy and attrition among volunteers and improve the sustainability of the program.
Need Statement
The American system of graduate education in engineering and science has set new international standards in preparing students to work successfully. The DC tutoring and Mentoring Initiative is a public statement that aims to connect volunteers to tutoring and mentoring Organizations and schools around the city and also transform Education and the civic culture (International Labour Office, 2011). In recent years, the need to have advanced expertise in non-research positions has increased. There is a need for substantial improvement in the education system as well as intermediated changes in the programs and information (Publishing, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, & Organisation, 2012). The available evidence on unemployment rates shows that there is a high demand by less traditional employees is rapidly increasing enough to absorb the majority of the undergraduates. Tutoring and mentoring problems means that there are many students who are in need of assistance outside the classroom. One of the challenges experienced in nonprofit...