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Community Service
The Community Outreach Program at La Casa Latina is committed to organizing, training, and supporting student volunteers within the university system to serve the greater Latino community at both local and national levels. A relatively new addition to La Casa, in two years the Outreach Program has grown to include a network of over 50 student volunteers in the university community, and has already reached out to more than 500 Latinos beyond the Penn campus.
The primary focus of our outreach programming is loosely divided among three key groups in the Latino community: children and youth, adults, and new Latino students at Penn. Whether you are interested in mentoring and tutoring elementary students in North Philadelphia, teaching English as a second language to new Latin American immigrants in South Philadelphia, or reaching out to new Latino students on the Penn campus, our programs can be tailored to suit your needs. Projects take place both on and off the Penn campus, and most are able to accommodate the busy schedules of our volunteers. Importantly, a s our diverse network of volunteers makes clear, community outreach at La Casa Latina is for students of all backgrounds from across the university, not just those who identify as Latino. Whoever you are, and whatever your interests may be, we are happy to help in finding a community service project that will be right for you.
On-Campus Programs
The Latino Coalition and La Casa Latina are hosting a series of community outreach programs for high school students in North Philadelphia. The program invites students from North Philadelphia to meet college students and learn further about what skills and preparation are necessary to succeed in college. Students at the University of Pennsylvania will serve as role models and guide participating high school students through their college process. This program is open to all students interested in community outreach work.
Please click here for a more detailed explanation of the Community Outreach Program's goals and methods.
For more information, please contact La Casa Latina at lacasa@pobox.upenn.edu.
Spanish Roundtables
These informal conversation groups, divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, meet on a weekly basis inside La Casa during both the fall and spring semesters. The groups provide Penn students, staff and faculty with the opportunity to learn and practice speaking Spanish in a non-competitive, friendly environment. Each group is facilitated by a student volunteer who speaks Spanish fluently. For the current roundtable schedule, please check the Penn web calendar on the PennPortal.
We are currently seeking 3 or more volunteers to facilitate the roundtables for the 2005-2006 school year. Facilitators should be fluent in Spanish and willing to work for 2 hours per week. No previous teaching or facilitating experience necessary.
For more information, or to sign up, please contact lacasa@pobox.upenn.edu.
Academic Mentoring and College Preparation
Each semester, La Casa Latina invites several local Philadelphia Latino high school student groups to participate in “Introduction to the College Process” workshops. These workshops are designed to motivate and inspire young Latinos to apply to college, while providing students with practical information about the application process. During these workshops, visiting students are able to meet with Penn volunteers to learn further about the skills and preparation necessary to succeed in college.
We are planning to invite 2-3 high schools during the fall 2005 semester, and are currently seeking interested individuals to plan, organize, and participate in running these workshops.
For more information, please contact lacasa@pobox.upenn.edu.
Off-Campus Programs
 ACELA: ACAMP (Academic Coaching and Mentoring Program)
In 1995, ACELA founded ACAMP (Academic Coaching and Mentoring Program). ACAMP is the only Penn tutoring program that is ran in North Philadelphia, a predominantly Latino neighborhood. Every Thursdays and Fridays, tutors from ACELA go to the HA Brown Elementary School in North Philadelphia to serve as tutors and mentors to kids between K-4th grades. ACAMP operates an after school program in collaboration with LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens). On Thursdays, ACAMP tutors assist kids with their homework as well as teach them strategies that the kids will be able to apply and succeed in their classrooms. On Fridays, ACAMP tutors serve as mentors to the kids through various activities such as artwork, games, and skits. Apart from the weekly tutoring, ACAMP also organizes events that allow the kids to visit the Penn campus and be exposed to a college/university atmosphere. All students are welcome to participate.
Please click here for a more detailed explanation of ACAMP's goals and methods.
Mexicanos JUNTOS
( South Philadelphia)
JUNTOS is a community center for recent Mexican and Latin American immigrants in the South Philadelphia area. At this center, they offer basic English classes for adults, cultural events, host a Mexican dance troupe, and generally seek to meet the needs of the community. They are particularly interested in students who would be willing to teach or assist ESL classes or work as homework aids with kids after school. In an effort to be sensitive to the community’s needs, JUNTOS usually asks for at least a semester-long commitment from volunteers so that students and community members can build trust and form relationships.
For more information contact mexjuntos@yahoo.com
Mastery Charter High School
Mastery High is a relatively new, technology-centered high school for urban youth in the Philadelphia metro area. Conveniently located in Center City, their student body is approximately 85% African-American, 10% Latino and 5% White, Asian or other. Mastery’s new Spanish program is very interested in fostering community partnerships and enriching their curriculum with student presenters, facilitators, tutors, conversationpartners, and e-mail buddies from the Penn community and Philadelphia area. If you are interested in gaining experience teaching or tutoring young Spanish students in an urban classroom setting, this program may be right for you.
For more information about Mastery Charter High, please contact lacasa@pobox.upenn.edu.
The Community Outreach program at La Casa Latina informally provides referrals for students seeking electronic or alternative resources for Spanish language study, or for those interested in domestic or international internships with Latin American communities. For more information on any of these programs, or to sign up, please contact La Casa Latina’s Community Outreach Coordinator at lacasa@pobox.upenn.edu.
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