History

The Youth to College program originally began as a cooperative effort between several colleges in the San Diego area, designed with the overarching goal of encouraging students to attend college. The program still maintains that goal, but with a deeper effort into increasing literacy and critical thinking skills of local K-12 students through in-school and after school programming. Today, the Youth to College Literacy Program sends USD work-study students, along with volunteer tutors, to the following sites:

• American Indian Recruitment Tutorial Program
• Academic Club at Carson ES and Linda Vista ES (a Bayside Community Center program)
• Bayside Community Center's Mission Possible (academic advising program at Kearny High School)
• Cesar Chavez Service Clubs
• Carson Elementary School
• Chesterton Elementary School
• Holy Family School Elementary School
• Linda Vista Elementary School
• Linda Vista Teen Center
• Montgomery Middle School ESL Program (USD students shadow middle schoolers who are learning English to help classroom teachers with content acquisition)
• Montgomery Middle School HW Club (in partnership with the YMCA)
• Montgomery Intersession Academy
• San Diego Global Vision Academic Elementary School
• Southern Sudanese Community Center Tutorial

Goals

Youth to College is guided by five strategic goals:

• Instill the desire to learn and become civically engaged in K-12 students
• Provide K-12 students with the mentorship and strategies needed to successful inside and outside of school
• Recruit college students and others to tutor and build relationships with the local community
• Expose college students to larger social issues and inspire them to become civically engaged change-makers
• Inspire children to attend college