The Oasis Institute

Volunteer service - oasis cooperated with 78 school districts and partner sites to offer the oasis intergenerational tutoring program in the 2023-2024 school year. This research-based program matches trained volunteer tutors with primary grade children to build reading skills, confidence, self-esteem and a positive attitude toward learning. , the program operates in 20 major cities and involved more than 2,000 trained tutors. Volunteer participation is showing a steady increase in response to the growing need for academic and mentoring tutors. With the decline of the covid-19 pandemic, many school districts have returned to hosting oasis tutors in person.some have utilized alternative programming developed during the pandemic as a supplement to traditional tutoring as well. Tutor training is provided throughout the year to new school districts joining the program and for new tutors in existing programs. Oasis tutoring is currently serving in partnership with school districts in the st. Louis metropolitan area, missouri counties of st. Louis county, jefferson, franklin, st. Charles, audrain, callaway, linn, and livingston. The oasis tutoring network includes programming in albuquerque, los angeles, portland, pittsburgh, denver, phoenix, rochester, san diego, san antonio, syracuse, tamworth, wadsworth, and washington d.c. Metropolitan area to provide tutoring.. Utilizing key mentoring aspects of the oasis tutoring program, a new intergenerational mentoring program has been developed. Oasis grand champions gives older adults the opportunity to mentor adolescents residing in foster care and to provide them guidance on necessary life skills. Oasis also provides information and training for other volunteer opportunities on a regular basis and encourages all aspects of volunteerism especially those opportunities that can engage older adults in contributing their time, talent and experience to help others. During 2023, 2,259 oasis volunteers provided significant service in their communities. In addition to tutoring, volunteers also serve as proofreaders, administrative support personnel, instructors, class coordinators, computer instructors, health facilitators, and peer discussion leaders.

Education - the network centers design and implement local educational programs in the areas of the arts, humanities and a broad range of other interest areas. Topics range from creative writing and poetry, art history, performing and visual arts, international studies, american and world history and current events. The institute supports the network in developing educational programs that address technology literacy through the oasis connections technology training program and include topics on how to use ipads, iphones, internet, email, facebook, accessibility for handheld devices and fraud and scam protection. The institute works with the supporting organizations and other program locations throughout the country to implement these programs. Participation in oasis programs has grown by double digit percents each year since the pandemic began. Gross revenue grew by 50% between 2022 and 2023 and an additional 40% between 2023 and 2024. Oasis still offers most programs in a hybrid format and around 50% of particiapnts are still logging on, even if they live in the same city in which the program is hosted. Oasiseverywhere, the virtual education center that sources content from oasis network centers across the country and provides an additional revenue stream and growing audience for locally developed and delivered lifelong learning, health/exercise, and social connection programs, is still operating and a critical component of oasis operations. Oasis everywhere, the solely virtual 'center' grew by about 17% between 2022 and 2023, with revenue totaling $103,000 in 2022 and $121,000 in 2023. Oasis also started offering content in 2023 from partners outside of the oasis national network, as well as expanding our participant base through partnership with other non-profits, market rate and subsidized senior living communities, and public and private corporate partners.

Technology literacy - the institute has developed a broad library of technology literacy curricula that is offered under the oasis connections program category. These courses teach adults how to use technology in order to stay connected with friends and family to decrease social isolation, add digital tools to their lives, provide them with confidence to learn new technology skills on their own, and navigate the internet safely. Participants also gain or improve skills to engage in online activities such as managing benefits and healthcare/health monitoring. The curriculum is composed of more than 30 courses that are relevant to people in the oasis demographic. These include introduction to the computer, introduction to email, google photos, introduction to the internet, ipad, iphone, mobile accessibility, safety and privacy online, windows 10, windows 11, mac os and android devices. All courses are translated into spanish. The supporting organizations and other local program sites offer a wide range of technology courses to participants using the oasis technology curriculum. Enrollment in connections classes has exceeded 155,000 since the program began in 2001. Oasis connections youtube instructional videos have received more than 213,000 views.