Free tutoring service that started in Halifax plans national expansion

Just a few years after a Halifax woman came up with an idea to help Nova Scotia students through the COVID-19 pandemic, the non-profit she founded has reached thousands of students and is expanding to other parts of Canada. 

Youth InspirED is looking at setting up free tutoring services in Alberta, B.C. and Ontario after establishing chapters in Halifax and Toronto. The organization provides virtual tutoring to students from kindergarten to Grade 12. Volunteers can help with everything from reading to math homework. 

“It was an idea that I had sitting in my bed one night,” said 23-year-old Rebeccah Raphael, the founder and executive director who is now also doing a master’s degree in the U.K.

After getting the group going and providing free sessions on Zoom to students during the pandemic, she said the need continued even after restrictions were lifted.

“Teachers are doing such a phenomenal job. But it is just a fact that the school system here in Nova Scotia and school systems across Canada are overburdened,” said Raphael.

The group has helped about 10,000 students already, she said, with follow-up studies showing improved academic results and confidence in school.

“It was really helpful to me,” said 13-year-old Halifax student Azyla Malik, who used the service when she was struggling with fractions.

Her mom heard about it during a curriculum night when asking her daughter’s teachers for help. 

Kinjal Shah said she and her daughter have been impressed with the tutors, who go through a vetting process.

“They would explain [math] to me really well,” Malik said. She booked time slots online and shared worksheets with her tutors prior to virtual sessions. She said it was helpful to have the face-to-face interactions. 

“If you don’t see the person, you don’t really have a visual understanding,” Malik said. 

Free service ‘super important’ for families

Austin Yazbek MacDonald, 25, has been providing math tutoring for about three years for the chapter known as the Halifax Helpers.

He holds a master’s degree in biomedical engineering and has also been teaching online courses at Saint Mary’s University. 

It’s another way for him to get experience as he pursues a long-term goal of becoming a professor. He said he’s finding the support is needed in the community.

“It’s super important. I’ve never been a fan of having education that is paid for,” Yazbek MacDonald said. “Most of the families that you see come in, if they weren’t doing it through Halifax Helpers, they likely wouldn’t be reaching out.”

As well as supporting students, the non-profit is also providing opportunities for people who do the tutoring. 

“It’s really a way to kind of teach entrepreneurship,” Raphael said. “And really, [to] have Canadian youth who are 16 to 30 feel empowered and that they can make a difference.”