Work and Play with Local Youth

Andre shooting hoops at the Y

The following programs are looking for Wesleyan students to serve as tutors, mentors, and pals to children in Middletown during the spring semester. Register with OCS and email the group coordinators to get involved. Work-Study positions are available!

Andre’s All Stars
The Middlesex YMCA — thanks to a grant from NBA player Andre Drummond — has created an after-school program for middle school youth. The program has a physical activity/sports component, as well as a tutoring component. Wesleyan students who interested in tutoring, mentorship and/or athletics are encouraged to join. Contact nsandweissba@wesleyan.edu.

Cross Street Tutoring
The Cross Street AME Zion Church has been in Middletown since the early 1800s, and Wesleyan students have collaborated with the Church on numerous occasions; they even served as ministers and Sunday School teachers during the institutions’ formative years. Today, this collaboration continues, although it has taken on a new form.
Monday through Thursday, groups of Wesleyan students provide after-school homework help at the Church from 4 to 6 PM for children in pre-K through grade 12. Tutors commit to two or more days per week, and the small group setting allows close relationships to form between the tutors and students. Students of all faiths are encouraged to tutor, as long as the space is respected. Contact zgarcia@wesleyan.edu.

Individual Tutoring
This program offers a request-based, one-on-one tutoring experience.  Local parents or community agencies request a tutor for a local child, and Wesleyan students are matched with children based on the tutor’s interest/mastery of a subject matter and availability.  All tutoring takes place in public locations, such as Olin or the Science Library, and the schedule is highly flexible. Contact dsdavis@wesleyan.edu.

North End Action Team (NEAT) Mentors

Mentors from Wesleyan are matched with a student from Macdonough Elementary School. They visit the school at least once a week to connect with their mentees. If you’re interested in developing a lasting relationship and serving as a positive role model for a Macdonough student, please email Kenny at mentoringneat@gmail.com.

Scholars in Action
This new group will engage Wesleyan students in after-school tutoring, at both Keigwin Middle School (6th grade) and Woodrow Wilson Middle School (7th and 8th grade). Wesleyan students will provide tutoring and mentorship to students and participate in the development of enrichment activities. This work will aid the school districts’ goals of reducing the achievement gap, increasing school engagement and attendance and improving the social and emotional wellness of students. Contact rbrand@wesleyan.edu and ewittrock@wesleyan.edu.

Traverse Square
Student-run and neighborhood-based, the Traverse Square After-School Crogram provides a setting for Middletown children to receive academic and social support.  Also known as “The Center,” this student-designed program is geared to provide local children with the proper resources to succeed in all aspects of life. Helping the children with their homework is the main goal of the program, and we also provide academic enrichment, recreational activities, and Friday afternoon field trips. Contact traversesquare@gmail.com.

WesReads / WesMath
WesReads/WesMath is a Wesleyan tutoring program whose mission is to provide support for higher-level learners in the areas of reading and math at Macdonough Elementary School and Farm Hill Elementary School in Middletown, CT. Through focusing on higher-level learners, we are able to help students fine tune their reading and math skills and thus perform better on standardized testing, paving the road for them to have access to upper level classes in middle school. This is also gives teachers the opportunity to focus on the students who might be struggling with their reading or math skills, and who we might not be qualified to help. The core of our program are the pull-out groups, in which Wesleyan students work with two to three students outside the classroom on either math or reading. Some of our tutors also provide assistance and supervision in the classrooms. Since the inception of WesReads/WesMath in 2007, Macdonough students’ standardized test scores have increased significantly, allowing more students to access higher level classes in middle school! Contact wes.reads.math@gmail.com.

Woodrow Wilson Tutoring Partnership
This program serves middle school students who are failing subjects, at risk of retention, and/or in need of general and academic support. Students are identified by their team of teachers and matched one-on-one with Wesleyan students for in-school tutoring. With a major focus on building relationships, tutors assist students with schoolwork, help support and enhance student’s motivation, provide general support for building confidence and improving academic performance, and serving as role models. Contact wwmstutor@gmail.com.