Before I moved to Philadelphia, I never really took great interest in tutoring. I maintained the grades to be eligible to tutor but I never really thought I'd be that good at it. After entering my freshman year at the University of the Arts, I had the opportunity to volunteer with U'Arts Alum, Mike O'Bryan through the student organization, African Diaspora Collective. I began tutoring children between the ages of 4-15 at the Salvation Army Red Shield Family Residence for about 4 hours a week. After joining the UArts Community Scholars program, I committed my core community service at the Red Shield and I had the opportunity to not only help these children a few days a week, but I started to build a relationship with them! I knew who was good at what, who struggled with something, and who needed a little bit more of my attention. I helped children with math, science, and writing. I met some of my favorite students while tutoring them for 2 years. I had a chance to witness their math and reading skills improve and parents we very appreciative for my work. I'm not sure if I'm the best tutor but I truly enjoyed the experience and hope I helped the children the best I could!
In response to the discontinuation of the AmeriCorps SISPA program, UArts has enabled selected participants to move forward with their intended community service by creating a comparable in-house program: UArts Community Scholars. Our three scholars volunteer with a partner organization, keep track of his/her service hours, and upon successful completion of the expected hours, will receive a grant via institutional funds. Here, Cody, Joi and Tito share and reflect on their service experiences.
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