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Tutor/Assistant Tutor – Practical Philosophy in Prisons

Volunteering Hawke's Bay

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Make a real difference by helping us to share simple principles of practical philosophy that can help prisoners change their lives for the better. Although we welcome a background in practical philosophy or previous tutoring experience, this is not essential, (especially for the role of assistants), as we will provide training.
You just need to be mature, open-minded, and have a willingness to meet people where they are at. If this sounds like you, we would love to hear from you. Our model is to have two Assistants with a Tutor per group of 8-12 prison students. We provide you with training, all the course material, on-site experience, and ongoing support. As a tutor or assistant working in a prison, you will first require Justice approval and then a 2-hour security training by Corrections. Although the mahi can at times be challenging, it can also be life changing for the people in prison, and for the tutors/assistants.

The type of person we are looking for: • Has a mature, open-minded attitude and a calm and steady disposition. • Is flexible and able to adapt - this is key in the prison environment. • Is non-judgemental and willing to explore new concepts. • Where possible, we appreciate our tutors/assistants to be available for several courses throughout the year, in order to give consistency. • Our intention is to have 4 courses a year. Each course runs for 6-7 weeks, with 75-minute sessions.

When you begin, you will take on the role of Assistant Tutor. If you wish, you may later be considered for the more senior role of Tutor and lead the presentation of the approved material. The minimum hours are usually 2-3 hours once a week, for 6-7 weeks, plus the odd hour from time to time for training. We see the role of the Tutor / Assistant Tutor as vitally important to the success of the Freedom Philosophy programme.
However, it is very much about just being yourself, being real. When we are non-judgmental, we can build the bridge of trust that is key to presenting the material and meeting the real person in front of us, whatever their background. Please get in touch if you are interested. We really would love to hear from you.