Dare 2 Soar Contact
Ashley Henry
Assistant Director, Lang Center for Civic & Social Responsibility
Lang Center for Civic & Social Responsibility
Contact
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Dare 2 Soar
Emily Barranca '19 doing face painting with a Dare2Soar student at an end-of-year celebration in 2017.
Dare 2 Soar is Swarthmore College's largest and oldest tutoring group, serving hundreds of Chester, PA children aged K-12. It was founded as a student-run organization by Khadijah White '04 with Francisca Mata '04 and Greg Lok '04, with a mission "to provide elementary school students and families of Chester with positive role models of color that attend college and serve the community," and "to demonstrate to the children what social action is truly about so that they might one day continue this mission."
Apply
Please note that Dare 2 Soar applications are closed for AY '24-'25. We will be accepting applications for new tutors in September 2025.
Eligibility
Applicants must obtain state and federal clearances.
Requirements
Students, parents, and teachers in Chester rely on our tutors for homework assistance, and consistent attendance matters. As a tutor, your job encompasses the following responsibilities:
- Attend an orientation session.
- Obtain Act 153 Clearances (see below).
- Commit to tutoring at least once a week on a regular schedule and at your assigned site.
- While students are only required to commit to one semester, we strongly encourage tutors to commit to at least one full academic year.
Resources
Obtain Act 153 Clearances
We have created detailed instructions on how to complete Act 153 Clearances for the Dare 2 Soar program. Questions about completing clearances can be directed to Sandra Briggs-Edwards; questions about specific requirements for Dare 2 Soar can be directed to Ashley Henry.
Partner Sites & Program Schedule
Dare 2 Soar tutors support several different afterschool programs throughout Chester. Each site is unique, and as such we are able to better serve not only the community's needs, but also the interests and schedules of our tutors.
- Chester Eastside, Inc. (CEI)
Monday-Thursday, 4:30-5:30pm
Vans depart from Rose Circle promptly at 4:10PM and return to campus at 6:00PM.
CEI is located on the east side of Chester, and offers a wide variety of services to the community, including GED classes, food pantries, a summer camp, and its after school tutoring program. CEI's after school program is the largest tutoring site, serving students ages 6-13. CEI welcomes tutors from Swarthmore College, Widener University, and Chester High School. - Chester Children's Chorus (CCC)
Monday-Thursday: One hour sessions between 3:30-7:30pm.
Saturday: Multiple one-hour morning and afternoon sessions.
Tutors who would like to tutor on Saturday with the Chester Children's Chorus must also commit to tutoring one day during the week.
The Chorus is located within walking distance from campus at 715 Harvard Ave (behind PPR apartments).
Dr. John Alston, former associate professor of music at Swarthmore College, founded the Chorus in 1994 to offer Chester children the same opportunity to change their lives through music that he was offered as a boy by the Newark (NJ) Boys Choir. The chorus began with seven boys from one elementary school and currently has 130 boys and girls, ages 8-18, from every school in the district.
Today, the CCC numbers 130 children, ages 8-18, from every school in the city of Chester, PA. The mission of the Chester Children's Chorus is to provide an intensive, sophisticated, and joyful choral music experience to young people of the city of Chester and to support their academic achievement and personal development.
Program History
After the founders' graduation, and in order to continue meeting Chester students' needs, Chester native and Lang Center staff member Cynthia Jetter '74 assumed responsibility for Dare 2 Soar's ongoing operations. (Ms. Jetter's achievements have been honored by the Chester Education Foundation's establishment of the Jetter Center.) The Dare 2 Soar program has since been run out of the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility by Ms. Jetter and, after her retirement, by Ashley Henry and Delores Robinson (in collaboration with Swarthmore faculty members and Chester-based organizations). Dare 2 Soar continues to provide Swarthmore tutors as well as Chester students with academic and cultural enrichment, personal growth, and recreational activities.
