Juvenile Court Book Club

San Diego, CA


How to Volunteer





Volunteers are needed to lead monthly Book Club meetings and as tutors!


JCBC provides Book Club programs and tutoring for students in three programs at two of San Diego’s juvenile detention facilities – the Girls’ Urban Camp (formerly called Girls’ Rehabilitation Facility), located at 2861 Meadow Lark Drive, and the Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility (Juvenile Hall Unit 700-Girls and Juvenile Hall Unit 800-Boys), located next door at 2801 Meadow Lark Drive.


Book Club meetings are scheduled once a month at each program. Sessions are held on weekdays at 10 a.m. or 12 p.m. and last for about an hour. Volunteers facilitate the discussions of the books – which include modern literature, classics, Shakespeare, poetry, and nonfiction – and the issues and ideas they address.


Tutoring opportunities are from 12 p.m. to 2 pm weekdays and two evenings a week from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information about tutoring, please see below.


The San Diego County Probation Department requires all volunteers working inside detention facilities to undergo a Volunteers In Probation background clearance. Background checks are conducted externally by the Probation Department and normally take 4 to 6 weeks to complete. All information you submit will be kept confidential.


For more information about volunteering for our program and the background check requirements, contact our Volunteer Coordinator at info@juvenilecourtbookclub.com.


If you would like to volunteer with Juvenile Court Book Club but are unable to attend the lunch hour book discussions or other on-site events, contact us to find out how you can lend your time and support!





One-on-One Tutoring Program





Dear Volunteers and Potential Volunteers,


Many thanks for all of your patience during this time of Covid. As most of you know, Juvenile Court Book Cub has been suspended for many months due to the pandemic and the fact that the juvenile facilities we serve have been closed to all visitors. We did conduct a few Book Club meetings via Zoom and most of the teachers were working virtually from their homes.


As to the future we are slowly getting back on track. Two new facilities for girls transitioning from Juvenile facilities to the world at large have been created and Book Club has been asked to open our literacy program in both places. One is in Vista and one is in La Mesa. Right now we are putting together a bi-monthly schedule for each of them. We are also in the process of finalizing the security clearances that will be needed to satisfy the requirements of the San Diego County Office of Education. These clearances include volunteers and tutors.


The Juvenile Hall facilities (near Rady Children’s Hospital) have been experiencing some outbreaks of Covid and the staff has closed the facilities to outsiders. We are hoping to resume Book Club meetings there as soon as possible. We are also juggling new security clearance requirements demanded by Probation and we are trying to finalize what will work best for all of us.


As soon as we can finalize all of these elements I promise to get back to you with how to proceed,


Once again, many thanks for your patience!





Juvenile Court Book Club runs a tutoring program that connects volunteers with students who need individually-tailored academic support.





Our volunteers have the opportunity to work one on one at the new S.A.F.E. (Supportive Advocacy for Female Education) Program in La Mesa and Vista, CA as well as at the Girls Rehabilitation Center (now called Urban Camp-Girls). Our volunteer tutors provide support for students in all academic subjects, not just English and Language Arts.


Students receive help with:

English/ Language Arts

Reading Comprehension

Grammar and vocabulary

Mathematics

Basic Math

Pre-Algebra

Algebra

Geometry

GED Exam preparation

California High School Exit Exam preparation





Interested in volunteering as a tutor?


Contact us for more information


Please tell us which academic subject(s) you are qualified to tutor and when you are available (weekdays and weekends).


You do not need to have teaching experience to volunteer for our Tutoring Program. We will provide you with the necessary support and training.



TESTIMONIALS



“I really think that books get peoples' minds off negative thoughts and keeps them into positive thinking..." Kenia M.


"I think that the books are intriguing. They are all books I have never heard of. It is nice to be learning about new things when I am locked up.” Andrea G.


“My most favorite one was a book called Sold. I actually took the book home and showed my family. My mom actually read it and she liked it as well… My favorite part about book club is how we all get to sit in a circle and actually share about the books and not being judged on our opinions.” Leah A.


“I like book club because it’s cool to hear everyone’s opinions and how they liked the book. It’s also nice of the ladies that and take the time to come to Sierra Vista and share their own point of views about the book.” Katherine O.


"While growing up I had trouble reading and I still do. I didn’t find interest in any of them because it was hard for me to visualize. But since I came to GRF in school we had to read books. Some were very boring and some were so interesting I wouldn’t even stop reading." Esmeralda M.


"The books that I’ve read here have been pretty interesting but not something that I would normally read. It has helped me open up to trying new books and such. I really liked book club because you get to hear different opinions that people have. Also, new suggestions of books that you may want to read." Ondrea D.


“I really liked some of the books we read in Sierra Vista High School. Some of them taught us about different people’s cultures. It makes me think that living in America we have it better than some countries. It also makes me see how we are all different in the world.” Shania S.


“I believe that while being in here all the books I’ve read have been from a wide variety of genres. I liked most of the books we’ve read. I feel it’s a great opportunity to learn about other people, nonfiction or fiction I love how we read about cultures and places I’ve never been." Elizabeth M.





P.O. Box 880706
San Diego, CA 92168-0706



Juvenile Court Book Club