Philadelphia University PUMP up

Philadelphia University will continue to enhance and deepen its partnership level with local agencies; Thomas Mifflin Elementary School, St. James School, DePaul Catholic School, Cook-Wissahickon Public School, to improve co-curricular & after school programs that will involve tutoring & mentoring (“improving at-risk K-12 student achievement”). Philadelphia University currently has an ongoing relationship with these agencies in which we send volunteers & work study students to these locations to simply help out where needed. The fall of 2012 marks our first semester of creating a more structured tutor/mentor program in which student volunteers are trained and given guidance from our VISTA. The VISTA also plays an integral role of being a point of contact for each of the after school programs served through P.U.M.P.-up

(Philadelphia University Mentoring Program). We wish to continue to build upon the foundation that has been set by the individuals who have participated in P.U.M.P.-up by expanding the services we can offer to these agencies. We hope that after our first year, we can work with our Advisory Council, mentors and community partners to identify best practices as we move forward with our program and continue thinking about the sustainability of the program. The AmeriCorps *VISTA would be responsible for assisting in the improvement of co-curricular & after school programs, working with the agencies & the Advisory Council to identify “issues to impact” areas to be served. The project at Philadelphia University is two-fold; the first component to enhance our relationships with local agencies to create specific programs to meet their needs is currently being met in this first year of our program & the second component is to continue to assist the university’s office of community service in the placement of community service work study students & other volunteer opportunities. We would be building on our culture of service on campus, allowing us to uphold an ethic of service by supporting neighboring agencies by enhancing our relationship with them & expanding on the services provided. Our intention is to continue to recruit new volunteers but also utilize existing program volunteers to assist with that recruitment and training of new volunteers.