The University of Puget Sound values the beauty and diversity of the city of Tacoma. We encourage our students to dive deep into the city's culture by exploring new places and meeting new people. One way we carry out this goal is by connecting would-be mentors and tutors to off-campus programs throughout the city. Each of our partner programs aims to provide academic and personal enrichment to children in Tacoma as well as the student volunteers involved. We work hard to create a mutually fulfilling experience for both participants and volunteers in the following ways:
- Providing support for student tutors and mentors
- Helping manage transportation for student tutors and mentors
Puget Sound Big Siblings Mentoring Program
Launched in the spring of 2015, Puget Sound Big Siblings is an outgrowth of Kids Can Do! Kids Can Do! was created in 1989 to expose area youth to higher education by involving them in campus events and activities. Puget Sound Big Siblings continues to follow this strong tradition and has expanded to work with local community partners to help Puget Sound students become mentors in Tacoma schools. Mentors strive to educate their mentee about the value of a college education and help them understand their responsibility in obtaining that goal. We still aim to sponsor educational field trips and activities for mentors and their mentees. Puget Sound students commit to spending an hour each week with their mentee and build positive long-term mentoring relationships throughout their college career. We currently help Puget Sound students connect with Big Brother, Big Sisters, Communities in Schools, and Proyecto MoLE for mentoring opportunities.
Puget Sound Tutoring
The Center for Intercultural and Civic Engagement offers a variety of tutoring opportunities for University of Puget Sound students. Partnerships with Tacoma Public Schools have benefited both teachers and students in Tacoma while also providing Puget Sound students with in-class experiences tutoring from elementary through high school. We currently partner with Peace Community Center (placing student tutors at Jason Lee Middle School and McCarver Elementary), Communities in Schools, and Tacoma Community House (with their Read2Me and GED programs). In addition, some of our programs offer enrichment opportunities in which students may teach classes on art, sports, gardening, etc. in addition to tutoring. If you are interested in tutoring, please contact our Volunteer Programs Team.
* Please note ETC Tutoring is no longer available.
** Please note, we do not match Puget Sound students with individual families seeking tutors for this children. If you are hoping to find a tutor for your child, please consider connecting with some of the above organizations already doing great work in the Tacoma community. You may also consider posting a tutoring job to Logger Jobs through Career and Employment Services.