Academic Mentoring Program

Through our signature program, college students volunteer to mentor Long Beach's most disadvantaged youth in grades K-12.  BLAST recruits volunteers through collaborative partnerships with California State University Long Beach (CSULB), California State Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) and Long Beach City College (LBCC). BLAST has had a variety of college students volunteer from different courses which include departments like Teacher Education, Sociology, Psychology, Liberal Studies, Recreation, Information Systems, Human Development, Art, Linguistics, Political Science and Communications.  Once recruited, mentors are trained, screened and placed at partnering schools and community sites.

BLAST Academic Mentors work with youth one-on-one to provide homework assistance and creative lesson plans in academic subjects such as language arts, math, science, social studies, and literacy support. BLAST mentors serve as role models for youth and provide an opportunity for children and young adults to learn about and explore the possibilities of higher education, particularly within the High School Mentoring Program

BLAST also pairs students from the Secondary Education Department with struggling high school youth to encourage and support them in passing the C.A.H.S.E.E. (California High School Exit Exam), graduating high school and continuing on to college. Mentors help their mentees develop life-skills related to academic success and improved socialization while helping them to set positive life-long goals.