What’s the web address for your homework help website?

It’s http://www.ForMySchoolStuff.com.

Who’s behind ForMySchoolStuff.com?

• Find volunteer and part-time work,
• Get help with homework and other school-related matters, and
• Easily access info needed when deciding what schooling and/or career might be best for them after high school.

How many volunteers are you looking for?

As many as we can get!! We’re always grateful for, and highly value, the help we get from our volunteers.

How do I apply for a position?

Simply send us an email at contactUs@formyschoolstuff.com, and let us know which position interests you. We’ll email you back with more details.

Does it matter to you that I don’t live in Ontario?

Not at all! In fact, we appreciate having volunteers in different places, because this gives us a broader perspective on what teens need and helps ensure that the material we receive is varied in nature.

I’m not a high school student. May I still volunteer with you?

Yes please! Our adult volunteers are valued members of our team.

Can I earn my community service hours through ForMySchoolStuff.com? How do you track my hours, and how can I get a letter from you?

Absolutely! We have a fairly good idea how much time these jobs generally take, but do keep track of how much time you take, in case you take longer.

As for your volunteer letter, email us (contactUs@formyschoolstuff.com), and we'll send you a volunteer letter within the week.

I emailed you a while ago, but you still haven’t gotten back to me!

Please email us again! Unfortunately, because of the high volume of junk mail we get, sometimes legitimate mail gets mistakenly labelled as junk by our mail handler. Although we regularly check our junk mail folder, some needed mail occasionally falls through the cracks, particularly if the subject line contains only ‘hi’, or ‘hey there’. One great way to make sure the same doesn’t happen to your mail: Make sure to include the words ‘ForMySchoolStuff.com’ somewhere in your subject line.

How many hours a week do you require from volunteers?

As little or as many as you have to spare! We really appreciate all the help we receive from you guys.

Would I need to come into your office, or can I work from home?

The Teen Issues Coordinator, Volunteer Job Coordinator, and Volunteer Workshop Coordinator positions do not require you to work in our office, although you are certainly welcome to come make use of the resources here (internet, printer, copier, telephone, fax) to help you get the job done.

I don’t have Microsoft Word or Excel installed on my computer, so I can’t open the files you sent me. Can you send them to me in another format?

Unfortunately, we’ve tried that in the past and it hasn’t worked out so well, especially given our spreadsheets can get large. What you can do is visit http://docs.google.com After creating a free account (or logging in using your existing Gmail account), you can upload Word or Excel (or many other) files and view, edit, and print them right in your internet browser.

Did anybody actually ask these questions?

Sure did. Every last one of them.

Where can I get a list of the Teen Issues topics I can choose from?

Email us (contactUs@formyschoolstuff.com) and we’ll send you the list along with a bit more information on the Teen Issues Coordinator position.

Can I suggest a topic not on the list?

Absolutely, although it will need to be okayed by our editorial team first. Again, send us an email (contactUs@formyschoolstuff.com) as we’ll get you an answer as quickly as possible.

In what format would you like to receive the research?

Preferably in a Microsoft Word document, with links to all your sources. Some volunteers have also generously mailed brochures and photocopies to our office.

Do you only require research? Or may I write the article anonymously/for a by-line?

You may absolutely write the article, but it will need to go through our team of editors before it can be published on ForMySchoolStuff.com. You will, of course, be able to see the final version before it goes live – just in case our team didn’t get one of your points quite right.

If you start writing regular material and garner a large enough readership, you may even be offered your own regular column on the site. As for whether you’d like your article to be published anonymously or with a by-line, the choice is up to you.

Are there any particular guidelines for the articles, in case I decide to try writing one? How long should they be?

Our articles are as varied as the volunteers who write them. Writers should, however, keep in mind that ForMySchoolStuff.com caters to a teenage audience. As a result, the articles should be light in tone and relatively short. Also, it helps to include resources that teens can use to find out more about the subject on their own – and that also helps us to generate more information if the topic proves to be a popular one.

What kinds of sources are you looking for, for these articles?

We use statistics, publications, research papers, newspaper articles, internet articles, magazine articles, encyclopaedias and books of all kinds. Just make sure that the source is a credible one. We generally avoid taking facts from blogs and wikis, as that information can sometimes be inaccurate.

How should I reference my sources? Should these articles contain footnotes?

Articles on the internet often credit their sources with links included right in the text of their articles. Everyone as ForMySchoolStuff.com has a high respect for other people’s work, and we ask that our volunteers share that respect by ensuring that all sources are quoted accurately – and that all material is properly acknowledged. To make it easy for you, you can use quotation marks and footnotes (or cite the source in brackets next to the quote material) and we’ll make sure that it is properly documented – and appropriate permissions received where necessary.

Do I need to get approval for the volunteer positions I submit to ForMySchoolStuff.com?

There is an approval process, and it happens right here at ForMySchoolStuff.com after you submit your list of volunteer positions. So no, you will not need to obtain additional approval prior to that.

Is there any particular geographic area you would like me to focus my search on?

Yes and no. The ForMySchoolStuff.com Volunteer search engine will cover all of Ontario equally (for now), so wherever there are teens who need to earn community service hours, that’s where we need to find volunteer positions. On the other hand, previous volunteers have already covered much of the Greater Toronto Area, so it would be helpful for our helpers to find volunteer positions in other areas, particularly in Northern Ontario and locations to the east and west.