P@L

"I think community service is a great idea and now that I have been a mentor I recommend it to everybody. It feels so good to know that you have helped a child in some way"

~UCSD Undergraduate

Regardless of your career and educational goals, you will benefit from the real world skills and the unique perspective gained from taking a PAL class. Working with children and their families, interacting with education professionals, and tackling authentic challenges will enhance your communication and social skills. Most importantly, you will be contributing to the community and making a difference.

The Partners at Learning (PAL) program, through UCSD's Education Studies provides opportunities for UCSD students to be involved with underrepresented and underserved preK-12 students and schools. Every year students in UCSD's Public Service courses work with hundreds of students on an individual basis and provide mentoring / tutoring at more than twenty area schools, contributing over 20,000 volunteer hours. UCSD's PAL students play an integral part in our partner schools as mentors and/or tutors and serve as role models for the preK-12 school children they serve. The public service courses provide students with an introduction to theoretical and practical issues in preK-12 education by incorporating both academic work and a fieldwork component into the course structure.

PAL courses are open to students from all majors and colleges. Many students take PAL classes in order to work with children and youth, to get real world experience, or to do community service. PAL classes also fulfill GE and significant writing requirements for some colleges, as well as some of the requirements for a minor in EDS. PAL mentors and tutors work in schools and strive to enhance preK-12 students' achievement and motivation. PAL partner schools are typically in lower income neighborhoods.

Learn more about the PAL program, view our PAL video:

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