Open Books VWrite is a virtual mentoring program serving high school students. Want to volunteer as a VWrite mentor? Great! Check the volunteer page for upcoming times and locations!!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Open Books! We would love to bring VWrite, our professional writing and mentoring program for teens, to your community. Please read on for all the details on how it works and how to apply.

What Is VWrite?

VWrite is an inspiring, unforgettable 8-week program that matches teens with caring, professional adult mentors who coach students, one-on-one, in college and career communication. The V in VWrite stands for "virtual," so mentors and students primarily communicate via phone and e-mail (enabling quality mentors from around Chicagoland to contribute in underserved areas and giving students a valuable simulation of how real-world, professional communication is conducted). Topics include resume, cover letter, goal-setting, e-mail and phone etiquette, job shadowing, interviews, the college search and application process, and more.

Why Is VWrite needed?

VWrite is a unique, life-changing chance for high school students to benefit from the one-on-one attention and connections of an adult professional. Participants become empowered and confident to pursue their college and career goals, and mentors support not only students' communication skills but also promote self-esteem, scholastic efforts, and school attendance.

Open Books seeks to bring VWrite to any interested Chicagoland high school. The sponsoring school must be able to provide students' weekly time on computers with Internet access.

1) Open Books partners with a sponsoring school or community organization to work with a class or group of students. A coordinating teacher or facilitator at the school or site leads weekly lessons related to VWrite topics, and assignments are included as part of students' class grade.

2) Open Books trains, recruits, and manages a group of mentors, each of which is matched with a student.

3) Mentors and students meet at a kick-off event organized by Open Books. At the event, mentors and students discuss procedures and goals for the program and set up times for weekly communication.

4) Each student and mentor pair receives a resources folder of supporting materials, helpful examples, and how-to guides.

5) Students and mentors communicate at least twice a week via regularly scheduled e-mails and phone calls.

6) Students may spend a day job-shadowing their mentors or visiting a college or business with the mentors.

7) Mentors and students provide regular progress updates to Open Books and the sponsoring site.

8) Open Books holds a party to recognize students and mentors at the end of the VWrite term, and mentors are encouraged to stay in touch and continue advising their students.

Cost And Value Of VWrite

Cost: Open Books covers the majority of VWrite's program cost. For the 8-week program, sponsoring sites are asked to contribute a stipend of $1,500 (less than 20% of the actual program cost).

Value: For a class of 25 students, the cost to the sponsoring site works out to $7.50 per student, per week. By comparison, writing classes in Chicago charge cost an average of $40 a session and career/life coaches charge $75-$250 an hour.

Want to see what VWrite looks like?
Check out our VWrite Photo Set!