Jan’s Tutoring House
www.janstutoringhouse.org
Fueled by the belief that education is a shared responsibility and that students should be challenged to meet their full potential, Jan’s Tutoring House has been fostering positive character development in the District’s youth for twenty five years. Founded by political activist and public servant, Jan Eichhorn, in March of 1990, Jan’s Tutoring House originally operated under the name Friends of Tyler School, a reflection of the organization’s relationship with mentoring students at John Tyler Elementary School in Southeast DC. Eichhorn served JTH tirelessly as Executive Director until shortly before her death in 2009. Renamed posthumously in Eichhorn’s honor, Jan’s Tutoring House continues to provide one-on-one tutoring and mentoring services to DC’s inner-city youth. Operating almost entirely with volunteer help, tutors and mentors at JTH are paired to work with one child between the ages of 5-15, and must commit one night per week of tutoring for at least a year. Programs at Jan’s Tutoring House, which include after school tutoring as well as summer camps run by certified teachers and volunteers, foster important relationships between students and mentors, empowering and challenging youth while equipping them with skills and knowledge to accomplish goals.
Youth in Mind Inc.
www.youthinmindinc.com
Youth in Mind Inc.’s (YIMI) mission is to educate, equip and encourage youth from age 7 to 17 in DC metropolitan area. YIMI was found in 2006, but the spirit of YIMI sprouted long before 2006, when 6 girls gathered around one day to have a tea party. It all began when the daughter of Joyce Perry, the founder of YIMI, invited some friends to celebrate her birthday. They brought jewelry and scarves and enjoyed a princess tea party of their own, liking it so much they decided to meet again the next year. In fact, the girls insisted that they should make a “princess club”; this was the beginning of YIMI and, as they say, the rest is history.
Joyce Perry admits she had never imagined founding Youth in Mind would have been in her future. In fact, her original assumption was that the girls would stop meeting as they grew up. But the meetings fostered such a positive and empowering environment that an 8-year-old girl who attended the first birthday tea party is now in the 10th grade, serving as a youth leader for the organization. Most of Youth in Mind’s mentoring programs specifically target a female audience, but the organization recently launched a program called ‘Young Men of Valor’ to meet the needs of male students also wanting a community of empowerment. To YIMI, mentoring is about touching young lives based on an individual’s strengths and weaknesses. Leaders and mentors at YIMI are passionate about serving area youth and providing them opportunities to improve their lives and better equip them for their futures.
