Grow Your World (brochure in English and Spanish) is a community-building organization that centers youth. We use healthy developmental relationships (relationships that support and challenge growth) as a tool to create access to knowledge and opportunities that are often systematically denied to some based on race, class, gender, language and more. We partner youth with college students and community members who share their interests and identities, centering who they are and creating a support system that helps them reach their goals and develop their community and sense of belonging.

Our current programs are:

1. Tutoring After 6pm (Infographic in English and Spanish) - A near-peer mentor tutoring program that partners 4-12th graders with college students to work together 1-2 times a week on academic subjects of need to the student. Students and tutors are paired based on shared interests. We practice mindfulness and social emotional skill-building tools at the beginning of sessions, and use growth mindset and student centered strategies to ensure students are not only helping kids with their homework, but also impacting their confidence, mental health, and skills for all-around thriving.

Tutoring takes place on Zoom, from 6-8pm so kids can participate in sports and still receive homework help and tutoring once they get home. Our staff speak Spanish and English, so we're able to bridge communication with families and ensure they have the resources they need to show up and be supported. Our data and experience from last year, where we served 48 5-12th grade students, almost all of whom were from Orange County Schools, was published here, in EdNC.

We have 10 open spots right now and will have more soon. To refer or share the application with a family, click here for Spanish and here for English. We have a sliding scale, all the way down to $0/month, to ensure access.

2. INKounter (brochure in English here) - An arts-based mentorship program for youth who are at high-risk of justice involvement, are justice-impacted, or justice-involved. Soteria (I AM SOTERIA, Grow Your World's Co-Founder) meets with young people to develop and individualized art-based project with a mentor who aligns with the students' interests.

Projects range in scope and medium based on a young person's needs and interests. Our program has just become a community service work-site, so those students who need to complete court-mandated community service hours can do so through our program. This includes but is not limited to time spent tutoring, exploring career opportunities, touring colleges, volunteering with our community partner organizations, receiving therapeutic services, and participating in expressive arts programs.

We are open for referrals and would love to bring this program into the schools. To refer a young person to INKounter, contact your school social worker, school counselor, or school Prinicipal.