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About Citizenship Tutoring

Citizenship Tutoring is a program which aims to combine public service and policy discussion, specifically with regard to the issue of immigration. Students involved in the program are each matched with one Harvard employee who is applying for US Citizenship. Meeting once a week for one hour sessions, tutors help prepare the employee for the US Citizenship exam. Subjects range from US history to the structure of the American government to recent current events.

In addition to tutoring, students involved in the program are provided with the opportunity to attend dinners and discussions with politicians, professors, and others who are actively working on issues in US immigration. These policy discussions help to provide an important setting for the tutoring just as the tutoring enlightens the way that tutors think about immigration policy. Previous speakers have included a former US Congressman, a former US Ambassador, an immigration attorney, and Harvard professors of Government and Sociology. Citizenship Tutoring has grown significantly over the past few semesters; currently over thirty Harvard students and employees are involved in the program.

No previous experience is necessary! Tutors will be trained and provided with the curriculum. This is an extremely rewarding program, and it is not a huge time commitment.


What are the responsibilities of a citizenship tutor?

Tutors are expected to:

  1. Attend a one-hour training session in February offered by Harvard Bridge to Literacy, an employee education program at Harvard with which we partner in this project.
  2. Meet with the employee you are matched with once a week for one hour.
  3. Attend meetings once a month (with great food) in which tutors will have the opportunity to ask each other questions and provide each other with ways in which they have made their tutoring sessions more effective.
  4. Attend Citizenship Tutoring Dinner and Discussions once a month with professors, politicians, and others who are involved with immigration issues.
  5. Have fun. This is a great opportunity to give back to the Harvard community, and it is also a great opportunity to learn more about the culture and country of the employee you are tutoring.

Committee Chair: Amy Beeson
Meeting time and place: Citizenship Tutoring meets some Mondays at 6:30 in Room 275  at the IOP.

Application Process

Testimonials