Berkeley United in Literacy Development (BUILD) is one of the largest reading programs in the East Bay, with 215 UC Berkeley student mentors providing one-to-one literacy support to 850 youth at 20 locations in Oakland and Berkeley. Each mentor is matched with 3 children with whom they work individually in 30-35 minute after-school sessions twice a week. Mentors work with the same children for at least one semester, and sometimes for years. In addition, all mentors attend an orientation, 3 trainings per semester, and weekly meetings with their mentor team. BUILD runs in fall, spring, and summer.

BUILD Directors, 2025-2026

Supporters

BUILD is supported by the City of Berkeley’s Youth Services and is a partner with the Berkeley Unified School District on Berkeley’s 2020 Vision. It is also a member of the Oakland Literacy Coalition and a supporter of Oakland Reads.

Important Dates 

(Note: All dates subject to change based upon site availability and need. Orientation and First Day information will be released to applicants and updated here as soon as they are available.)

Contact Information

For more information, contact BUILDLiteracy@berkeley.edu