As the 2022-2023 academic year comes to a close, PESA reflects back on the success of their tutoring and mentoring program. PESA continues to receive tutoring referrals from the Los Angeles Police Department, Probation Department, District Attorney’s Office, schools, parents and guardians. In addition, PESA’s Education and Behavioral Health departments recently collaborated to launch a new model of tutoring. This new system includes a standardized outreach methodology, collects valuable feedback and information regarding the youth, implements an expanded list of educational workshops, and promotes active collaboration between case managers, social workers and the assigned tutor. Currently, we have dozens of active tutors, and they range from Teen Court Alumni and Social Work Interns to college students, each from diverse educational and cultural backgrounds.
PESA tutors offer critical academic support to K-12 students from various communities, including those from low-income, first-generation and system-impacted backgrounds. PESA’s tutors share similar life experiences, backgrounds, and interests to their students, which also allows them to be a mentor and provide consistency and guidence as youth navigate the challenges of adolescence. This two-tiered approach of educating and mentoring youth makes PESA’s program unique and highly effective.
At its simplest, PESA’s Tutoring Program is designed to help students realize their academic potential. Tutors provide personalized sessions and guidance to develop critical-thinking skills, while helping students overcome academic obstacles. An inspiring illustration of this growth and potential is exemplified by the intake information of James who joined PESA as a sophomore in high school and significantly improved his grades. James had an F in Chemistry, a D+ in History and a D in Geometry, which he increased to an A, an A- and a C respectively.
Minelli Chitica, a Community Representative and tutor with PESA, shares that her experience with the program has been both challenging and fulfilling. “It has allowed me to make a positive impact on someone's life while also requiring patience, flexibility, and creativity to tailor the tutoring experience to the student's unique needs and learning style,” says Chitica. “Seeing my students apply what they learn from their tutoring sessions to their assignments, while using the strategies and techniques they've learned from me is gratifying. I can see how their confidence and understanding changes throughout each session.”
When students receive the requisite support, they become more motivated to learn and succeed academically. This can lead to greater engagement in the classroom and an increasingly positive attitude towards learning.
Andrea Barajas, an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania and PESA tutor, employs a unique approach to support her students through engaging educational worksheets and activities. These resources are carefully designed to encourage student interest and promote active learning both during tutoring sessions and in their regular school environment. “My first ever activity with him was a Jeopardy activity that I fully customized for him as a way to address his needs and also build a bond at the same time,” says Barajas, speaking about one of her students. “ I began tailoring activities to his interests, focusing on subjects like neural pathways in psychology and animal biology while working on reading comprehension worksheets. I do so because I am invested in his education and want to support him in any way I can.”
PESA’s tutors play an invaluable role in supporting students and their dedication as educators and mentors support the youth and allow them to build crucial skills and overcome challenges they face at school and their lives outside of school.
Stephanie Santillan, a Community Representative and tutor shares, “I never thought I could feel so fulfilled until I got to see students grow an interest in academics in areas they feel are impossible to understand. I loved building relationships with students to integrate their interests into learning.”
Our dedicated tutors/mentors are a cornerstone of furthering PESA’s mission of educating, mentoring and advocating for our community’s youth. They consistently and expertly adjust to every student's different needs, learning styles, and academic goals. Each year, PESA seeks to close the opportunity gap for youth across the county.
If you’d like to support PESA’s many social and educational initiatives, please contact us.
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