MexEd is a non-profit organization that promotes educational attainment and community leadership among Mexican immigrants and their children, especially the undocumented, living in or near New York City.

Description and/or History:
Our main vehicle for accomplishing this mission currently is an after-school enrichment program based at Washington Irving High School in Union Square. We also offer a mentorship program in which we connect Mexican youth with caring, dedicated mentors.

MexEd primarily needs volunteers to serve as mentors for youth participating in the after-school program. A mentorship relationship is both rewarding and fun - it involves participating in one-on-one academic and social activities with a young person, serving as a caring and dedicated advocate, role model, and friend to him/her. If this sounds like a role you could fill, please get in touch with us today!

Founded in 2001 by Sandra Lara and Robert Smith, MexEd began as a small non-profit that offered a mentorship program for high school students, and informational sessions regarding CUNY admissions to Mexican students and their families. The mentorship program connected youth with Mexican and Mexican American college and graduate students, and offered the participants a consistent relationship with a caring adult. Furthermore, outreach events informed students and their families of the options available to Mexican students, whether documented or not, with respect to attending college.

In 2005, through a collaboration with the Union Square Partnership, MexEd established an after-school club at Washington Irving High School, located in Manhattan near Union Square. The program developed into a once-a-week after-school enrichment program that complemented the existing emphasis on mentorship and college readiness.

MexEd remains a small but active organization that seeks to widen its volunteer base so that it can better achieve its mission.

Contact people:

Jessica Coffrin-St. Julien, (408) 499-5455, (email) Blanca Ibanez, (email)

Address:

135 East 22nd Street, 9th Floor New York, NY 10010 (See a map)

Directions:

Baruch College of Public Affairs; located between Lexington and Third on 22nd Street.   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: 23rd Street on the 6 train,   Walk distance (in minutes): 5