A Case Study of a Community-Based Tutoring and Mentoring Program

Abstract

This article reports on a qualitative case study of Ready, Set, Learn (RSL), a community-based tutoring and mentoring program. It examines stakeholders' perceptions of the program's impact on Portuguese-Canadian students. RSL aims to mitigate educational challenges faced by Portuguese-Canadians, as they relate to high rates of high school non-completion and corresponding low levels of post-secondary enrolment. Previous studies conducted into the Portuguese-Canadian population have focused specifically on problems of educational disadvantage and have not explored programs or practices adopted by the community to address these issues. This study contributes to research on education-focused community-based organizations, such as RSL, which have been shown to support at-risk immigrant youth through the provision of supports and services that enable improved educational outcomes. The findings of this study show that RSL provided its students with cultural capital to construct high academic and vocational aspirations, and to cope with discouraging experiences they had in schools.

Keywords

• Community-Based Education
• Portuguese-Canadians
• Educational Disadvantage
• Immigrant Experience with Education