about
History
Minds Matter’s mission is to connect driven and determined students from low-income families with the people, preparation, and possibilities to succeed in college, create their future, and change the world.
The organization’s services have developed into a holistic four-year program for high school students, guiding them through valuable lessons in Academic Preparedness, Writing & Critical Thinking, and ACT Preparation.
Since its founding in New York City in 1991, Minds Matter has grown into one of the largest volunteer-led organizations in the nation dedicated to promoting higher education, with fourteen chapters across the country in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, the Twin Cities, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
Founded in 2011, Minds Matter of Philadelphia is a chapter of the national Minds Matter organization. We are committed to making college education a reality for our students in the Greater Philadelphia area. Students are paired with two mentors and spend time during weekly mentoring sessions working on summer and college applications, standardized test preparation, community service efforts, writing and public speaking skills, and other life skills that benefit the student academically and personally.
This past year, ~100 volunteers from the Philadelphia area teamed up with 50+ students from 20 Philadelphia area high schools. Minds Matter Philadelphia has achieved remarkable and consistent success with 100% of its students being accepted into a four-year college!
College Acceptances for Minds Matter Philadelphia Students Include:
Unique Focus
While most mentoring organizations provide one mentor for one mentee, Minds Matter mentees are provided with an entire team of highly skilled professionals from various industries. Each student is assigned to two mentors who they meet with weekly: a team leader; and SAT/ACT test preparation, writing, critical thinking and math instructors. This structure provides unparalleled support for our students, enabling them to benefit from collaborative learning opportunities as well as individualized attention tailored to their specific academic and social need. The organization also thoroughly addresses their need for guidance through the college admissions and financial aid processes. As first-generation college-bound students, many of them would otherwise have little support through this complicated process. At Minds Matter we believe that as we help our students (or mentees) earn a college education, we are also cultivating them to be the next generation of leaders.
Short Term Goals
Every day we strive to maintain our ideals and provide the best possible experience for our students and volunteers. In addition to running the program efficiently, our team of volunteer leadership are focused on the following initiatives:
- Develop a long-term growth plan that addresses strategic chapter expansion, student enrollment, program enhancement, and organizational development.
- Continue to develop an alumni program that extends Minds Matter’s services and reinforces the focus on college diplomas, not just acceptance letters.
- Develop improved metrics that will allow Minds Matter to more effectively evaluate and enhance programs.
- Ensure that Minds Matter programming maintains its focus on academic excellence, while also expanding it to address the importance of leadership, citizenship and early professional experiences.
- Refine and refresh test preparatory program to better prepare students for undergraduate college entrance.