What is the Harvard Ed Portal Mentoring Program?

Each semester, approximately 25 Harvard College undergraduate students serve as Mentors at the Harvard Ed Portal at 224 Western Avenue in Allston. Mentors fulfill an important community outreach role by working with Allston-Brighton children and teens from a variety of backgrounds, encouraging their exploration of science, writing, public speaking, math, technology and the arts.

Mentors are committed to the vision of the Ed Portal as a community of learning without limits, and strive to instill in local youth the understanding that learning is a lifelong endeavor, making a difference in the lives of students who struggle in school, and offering inspiration and enrichment to all students.  In addition, Mentors are committed to consciously developing their own skills as educators and learners.
 

The Mentoring Program resides jointly with the Harvard Ed Portal and the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning on campus.  Under the direction of Faculty Director Professor Robert A. Lue, and the Assistant Director for Socially Engaged Learning, Susan L. Johnson, undergraduate Mentors create original activities and curricula, actively contribute to group discussions, and submit reflective writing about their experiences. 

Most accepted undergraduates find the program to be personally rewarding and stay for many semesters, forming a meaningful community around teaching and learning.