Sometimes the best ideas to support youth come directly from teens themselves. Such is the case for Homework Help, a free kindergarten through eighth-grade tutoring program conceived and led by North Star Youth Partnership’s Peer Assistance & Leadership (PAL) program at Prescott High School.
North Star Youth Partnership (NSYP) started in 1997 as a teen pregnancy prevention program and now serves youth ages 11-18 with over 10 programs. PAL is just one of these programs and helps teens learn skills through peer helping, leadership, mentoring, conflict resolution and community service.
Fulfilling an Important Need for Students and Parents
When creating Homework Help in collaboration with the Prescott Public Library, PAL students expressed that it can be frustrating for students who need a little extra help grasping class material. Also, the burden of helping with homework often falls on parents, who are already exhausted from work and responsibilities. Homework Help has been the answer parents and students have been seeking.
The program is now in its second academic year at the Prescott Public Library. Tutors are available on the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 4-5:30 p.m., serving between six and eight students each session. PAL students attended tutoring training and completed a tutoring manual to gain valuable skills to be successful in their role.
PAL Students Enjoy Giving Back Through Tutoring
Susie Jaimes, a senior at Prescott High School and PAL co-president, along with Abby Burns, has been with the tutoring program since its inception. Susie said she was excited to become part of the PAL program for its leadership and service-learning component, but the Homework Help program particularly appealed to her.
“Growing up, I did not have access to tutoring programs to help me with the subjects I struggled with, especially English. We are helping to fill a void that other students may also have. I love being able to help younger students in this way,” she said.
Susie adds that the students are diverse and that it’s fun to get to know them and their varied personalities. She recently began tutoring Susan, who is in fifth grade at Granite Mountain Middle School, and is working with her in math and history.
Homework Help Benefits Students and the Greater Community
Susie and the other PAL tutors have skills in different subjects, but math tends to be the most common request. “Although some of the students may be shy in the beginning, we quickly gain their trust, and our work together makes all of us more skilled and confident,” she said.
Jennifer Kendall, Lead Librarian, Youth Services at the Prescott Public Library says parents express gratitude for the teens tutoring their children. “Homework Help is a sweet partnership where teens are getting the opportunity to serve and be a positive influence on a younger generation. In addition, it’s a free service for the children in our community. This is the best kind of partnership, where everyone is benefitting. We love having the PAL students in our library. They are excited, prepared, and dependable,” she said.
