Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What will I be doing as a mentor?

As a mentor, you will be assigned a tutorial day and site. Every week, you will meet at the RSF with a group of other mentors, lead by one of our OASES coordinators, who will take care of the transportation logistics. Once at site, you will usually be assigned to a classroom of ~20 students, depending on your day and site, and this classroom will always have an EBAYC staff member present. As mentors, we help the students with homework, play recess with them, and occasionally help facilitate activities designed by EBAYC staff.

What is the time commitment?

Joining OASES is a semester-long commitment. When you join OASES, you will be mentoring once a week for 10 weeks. Our program officially starts during the 5th week of the semester, and goes until the week the classes end.

We leave campus around 3pm and will all be back in Berkeley by 7pm at the latest.

How do I get to the school site?

Your OASES coordinator will take care of all the transportation logistics for you! After meeting at the RSF, we all either take the bus or Uber/Lyft to the school site together, depending on which site you are going to. Just remember to bring your bus pass!

Do you accept grad students?

Yes!

I have never tutored/worked with kids before. Is that okay?

Of course! Many of our new mentors have not had prior experience working with youth. We will also provide training before tutorial starts.

What schools do you work with?

We serve two schools in the Oakland Unified School District: Lincoln Elementary (1st – 5th Grade) and Franklin Elementary (1st-5th Grade).

What is EBAYC?

EBAYC is a nonprofit organization located in Oakland whose mission is to support all youth to be safe, smart, and socially responsible. OASES and EBAYC merged in 2012, and we have since been working together toward our shared vision.

I heard I can get a unit through OASES. How does that work?

See Units.

I was in OASES last semester. Do I have to apply again? How do I sign up?

Some time in the first few weeks of the semester, you should receive an email with instructions about how to sign up again. If you want to be extra sure, you can fill out this form. Thanks for returning!