A Call for Volunteers

The New York Society of Security Analysts (NYSSA) will be working with the Sanford I. Weill Institute in order help locate volunteers to teach high school students basic information about finance and business. The Sanford I. Weill Institute, sponsored largely by Citi Foundation, is embedded into the normal school day at the High School of Economics & Finance and runs on Wednesdays from 1:24 p.m. to 2:24 p.m., starting April 28th through June 9th. 

A major component of the program is having volunteer industry professionals come into the school to deliver seminars to students. The school needs volunteers for the Intro to Finance seminars that teach freshmen basic knowledge of business and finance using a curriculum (available upon request) once a week for seven weeks. A volunteer has the option of modifying the curriculum as needed. A certified teacher will be in the classroom at all times to help with classroom management. It can be a rewarding opportunity for students and volunteers. If you cannot teach all seven sessions of a seminar yourself, please consider asking your colleagues/friends to volunteer to teach some of the dates. Please feel free to sign up, even if for a single session, as every bit helps!

This year, all students at the High School of Economics & Finance qualified as economically disadvantaged and are eligible for free lunch. The students travel from all five boroughs to get to this school and they represent New York City’s wonderful diversity. The student population is 800 in grades 9th through 12th with 28% Asian, 37% Hispanic, 24% African-American, 10% White, and 1% Other. Roughly 6.5% of these students are English language learners. 

Additional volunteer opportunities:

• Two volunteers are needed for the Euro Challenge high school research competition being held at Credit Suisse, 11 Madison Street, on Thursday, April 8th. The time commitment is 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Volunteers will be part of the Working in Support of Education (w!se) project team, which is managing the event for 36 competing teams. 
• Twenty-five volunteers are needed to be judges for the 2010 Quality of Life (QL) scholarship competition on April 26th, April 28th, April 29th, May 3rd, May 4th, or May 5th either from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. or 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The competition will take place in midtown Manhattan in the 50’s on the East Side (the exact locations for judging will be announced one week before the date).
• Three volunteers are needed for six or more hours on May 13th, May 14th, May 17th, May 18th, or May 19th at w!se (227 East 56 Street, 2nd floor, Suite 201). Volunteers will work with w!se staff in reviewing paper-based tests returned by schools before they are sent to the scoring agency.
• Several volunteers are needed for a Speakers Bureau to speak to a class of New York City high school students on a personal finance topic.
• Many volunteers are needed to teach a one-hour seminar on Wednesdays (April 28th to June 9th, 1:24 p.m. to 2:24 p.m.) for the Sanford Weill Institute at the High School of Economics & Finance.  Please keep in mind that a volunteer may tweak the provided curriculum to suit his/her preference. 

Those who are interested in volunteering should contact Clifford Dukes at cdukes@wise-ny.org or directly at 212-346-0708 ext. 5080 or 212-421-2700.