Mon–Fri 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM 4522 S Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60609
Southside Mentors Collective Chicago, IL · Since 2011

Programs

Five ways in. All of them free.

Every program runs out of the same building and shares the same staff, so a student can move between them without starting over with strangers.

How to choose

Start anywhere. Most students end up in two.

A ninth grader usually walks in for homework help and leaves with a mentor. A senior shows up in September for essays and is on a summer crew by June. Nothing here is a track you get sorted into — families and students choose, and they can change their minds.

Getting a student in

Enrolling takes one conversation

Parents, guardians, counselors and students themselves can start this. All three routes end in the same place.

Step one

Call or send the form

Tell us the student’s grade, school and what is going on. Two questions, no paperwork yet.

Step two

Come to a program night

Walk the building, eat with everybody, meet the staff. Students decide whether they want to come back.

Step three

Pick a program

Homework lab starts the same week. A mentor match takes a little longer because we do it carefully.

Every program needs adults

Pick a night. Hold it.

Mentors, tutors, drivers, employers and people who are good at snacks — every program on this page runs on volunteers who kept one weeknight open.