The Charleston Teen Reach is currently seeking out Eastern students who are willing to volunteer time to spend with teenaged children.

Teen Reach is looking for students who would like to tutor or become positive adult mentors as a part of an after-school program for children ages 10 to 17, said Bridget Olis, program director.

The center also is available for education students in need of observation hours, Olis said.

Any major can apply to volunteer for Teen Reach, but many education majors find it helpful to fill their observation requirement, and they can reach students on a more personal level, Olis said.

Students need to be over 21 to be a positive adult mentor and those under 21 can be a peer mentor for the teenagers. Teen Reach does not have any requirements for volunteers; however, they will have a routine background check to ensure that they have not had any history of child abuse, Olis said.

Many of the students who come to Teen Reach are positively influenced by the college students who come in to tutor and mentor.

“It is an extremely positive experience for the kids,” Olis said.

It also is a positive experience for the volunteers. Many Eastern students enjoy working with the teens at Teen Reach because of the personal touch they can get working with one student at a time, like when they are doing tutoring, she said.

“We have had a lot of positive responses from tutors in the past,” Olis said.

Teen Reach concentrates on working with teens in five different areas: academic assistance, recreation, positive adult mentors, life skills and parental involvement.

Interested students can help organize and participate in weekly workshops for the teenagers, Olis said.

Teen Reach offers tutoring between 3 and 4:30 p.m. everyday, as well as many other programs that go on between 3 and 5 p.m. Teen Reach also is open on weekends.