Since its launch in 2000, the Each One Teach One (EOTO) tutoring program has become an integral part of the WashU community. Each One Teach One provides WashU students with a high-quality tutoring experience while offering St. Louis students mentors throughout their K-12 years. The program partners with KIPP: Victory Academy, the Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls, and College Bound, a local nonprofit. Recently, the program has undergone significant growth and is focusing on its connection to the Gephardt Institute in an effort to make the initiative synonymous with the institute’s name.
Peter Dissinger, ’18, is the institute’s EOTO: KIPP Victory Student Coordinator and manages logistics and strategic planning for the program. He has overseen much of its recent growth and re-branding. He works with other EOTO coordinators to lead and direct the program’s student leadership team, which manages tutoring sessions and provides a secondary layer of leadership within the program. Over the course of Peter’s involvement, first as a student leader and now as an institute staff member, the program has fluctuated in size as partner needs have changed.
This fall, the program is double the size compared to last year, with 3 coordinators, 24 leadership team members, and 118 tutors. According to Peter, the change is reflective of strengthened partnerships that allow “community partners to be in a place where they feel comfortable.” Much of this comes from a strong program foundation and commitment to equipping tutors with the skills necessary to work with partners.
The program’s growth has also led to restructuring, and the leadership team has planned several behind the scenes initiatives to ensure its continued success. Specifically, the team has taken tangible steps to better align with the Gephardt Institute’s brand. As Peter says, “Each One Teach One’s mission is exactly that of the institute’s, but with a narrower focus to create critically-engaged citizens that have a better understanding of the St. Louis educational landscape. We are starting to tell tutors more about what the institute does and why we do it. They are representing the Gephardt Institute, and we want them to be proud of it.”
In an effort to integrate Each One Teach One with the Gephardt Institute mission, the team has also implemented regular general body meetings for all tutors. This addition simultaneously makes “EOTO a more visible institution” while also cultivating a strong group mentality where “tutors want to engage with the institute and spread the message because they are now treated as brand ambassadors.”
Each One Teach One tutors and coordinators are crucial to creating an educational program that inspires St. Louis children. With new initiatives to support EOTO tutors and leaders, now is the perfect time to get involved. As Peter summed, “Each One Teach One is an opportunity for WashU students who don’t know what community engagement is to learn about the community and be more invested in St. Louis.”
To learn more about Each One Teach One and find out how you can get involved or support the program, click here.