The Center for Public Service Launches Virtual Tutoring and Mentorship Program
By Shanzae Sarwar, Contributing Writer
The Center for Public Service (CPS) has started a new initiative, called Gettysburg United in Developing Education (G.U.I.D.E), in response to the challenges stemming from the pandemic.
CPS was founded by Karl Mattson, with a vision of creating a lasting commitment to community service and strengthening local partnerships. Over the years, through its many programs and initiatives, CPS has exemplified a strong dedication to its founding principles. With the help of student leaders and volunteers, CPS has created dialogue and raised awareness about important social justice issues, including food justice, poverty, immigration, and education.
Popular programs have included ESL classes, Migrant Education, EL Centro Tutoring, and the Painted Turtle Farm, to name a few. Each program is led by a student Program Coordinator, who recruits volunteers and works with specific partner agencies from the local community. However, with the changes of this year, CPS was unable to continue many of its annual programs. Instead, it responded to the challenges of this year by creating a new virtual program for volunteering known as ‘Gettysburg United in Developing Education’ (G.U.I.D.E).
Through this new initiative, CPS offers virtual tutoring and mentorship for children in Adams County. Through weekly hour-long zoom sessions, Gettysburg students across the country come together to help children with their schoolwork and provide them with support in whatever they need. These sessions take place Monday through Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30 pm every week. This program has allowed students to continue to engage in meaningful work and stay connected with the local community at Gettysburg.
The G.U.I.D.E program is an excellent example of resilience and commitment to fostering community relationships even in unprecedented times.
“Students have taken up the program and gone with it,” says Brenda Reyes-Lua, Assistant Director of CPS, “this just goes to show that no matter where we are, we are part of a community.” She talked of the incredible determination of students to continue to engage with each other even when they are far apart. She gave the example of a student who is volunteering their time to this program while studying abroad in France this semester.
Simply putting a halt on programming would have been the route that many would have taken this year; instead, CPS has shown an incredible resolve for engagement and volunteer work, truly reflecting the spirit of a shared community.
