An essential part of our program is participating in volunteer opportunities that our program, GSE, and Penn offer. It is a great chance for us to get to know projects for the communities in Philly. During the past two semesters, there were a lot of different projects our cohort volunteered with, and I want to highlight a few of them with this blog.

At the beginning of October, we had the opportunity to volunteer at Mill Creek Urban Farm. Mill Creek Urban Farm, located in West Philadelphia, is an educational urban farm led by people of color. They cultivate and distribute fresh produce and host farm-based learning programs for people of all ages. They are dedicated to building a healthy community and environment and promoting a just and sustainable food system. Our IEDP volunteers supported the team by working in the small fields and bringing in all their manpower.

Here are some voices sharing their experience:
Joe: Volunteering at the farm is a lot of fun! The gardener first introduces the plants they grow. I then participate in tasks like loosening the soil and moving fertilizer. It ends with a small market where you can buy fresh veggies. It’s a great way to escape the assignment and connect with nature while supporting the local community garden.

Asep: Volunteering at the farm last semester was my first hands-on farming experience in the U.S., and I genuinely loved it! I really appreciated learning about the sustainable and greener farming practices here—something I rarely get to observe back home. One of the highlights was tasting different kinds of peppers; I grew up only recognizing a few types of chili, so sampling a variety was eye-opening (though one definitely burned my stomach… note to self: don’t skip breakfast!). Beyond the farming itself, what made the experience even more special was spending quality time outdoors with my IEDP cohort. It was such a refreshing and grounding way to connect with nature—and with each other.

Lushen: Last semester, I had the pleasure of volunteering at Mill Greek Urban Farm, and it was such an enriching experience. I had the opportunity to explore the farm, which featured a variety of plants, including small eggplants, fruit trees, vegetables, and even different kinds of chili peppers (though I wouldn’t recommend trying the Scorpion Pepper – it’s fiery enough to feel like swallowing a thousand suns!). We divided up the tasks, including tilling the soil, moving dirt, and cleaning up the area, which made the whole experience both fun and meaningful. It was amazing to see firsthand how the farm works to build community and foster a connection to nature.

In the spring semester, there was the opportunity to volunteer with MANNA. This organisation brings together volunteers from all different backgrounds to help prepare food, pack containers, and deliver meals directly to the doorsteps of Philadelphians living with serious illnesses. Read about our IEDPers’ experience:
Shelly: Volunteering at Manna with our cohort made me feel connected to something larger than IEDP and more like a part of Philadelphia. Serving the community that has started to feel like home as we settle into our second semester in the program was especially meaningful. Stepping out of all the hustles of assignments and checking off to dos we were able to deeply engage in the community and enjoy our time together.

Our very own Jupiter is volunteering within the Young Quakers Community Athletics Program. Read about her experience:
My volunteering program is the Young Quakers Program at Henry Lea Elementary School. It teaches physical exercise to students in grades K-5. As a coach, every stretch must be accurate to help students do the exercises properly. Not being athletic, I am exhausted after almost every lesson. These little ones aren’t always unruly; they know how to do the exercises properly, but children’s nature makes them run around until they are exhausted or we intervene before they return to the routine. On several occasions, I had to remind them, “You’re not doing stretches; you’re just fooling around.” Fortunately, my head coach, Becca, was very supportive and always gave me the green light when I was unsure about my decisions.

A few IEDPers take part in the Penn GSE tutoring initiative. They operate at two schools in West Philadelphia and offer tutoring for elementary and middle school students in Literacy or Math. Students in the tutoring program receive two 30-minute weekly tutoring sessions with Penn students and community members tailored to their skill level, areas of need for support, and interests. Here is how our experience as tutors was:

Jiawen: This spring, I’ve been volunteering as a math tutor at Henry C. Lea School, working one-on-one with a first-grade student named Kat. Kat and I meet twice a week, each session lasting 30 minutes, right inside her school. We work on basic addition and subtraction within 10. I’ve always loved teaching, so I joined the Penn GSE Tutoring Program.
As her tutor, I see my role as providing scaffolding: guiding her thinking step by step, asking questions to support her reasoning, and giving her the space to make sense of problems on her own. I love seeing those little moments when she discovers the answer for herself—not because I told her, but because she figured it out. Her eyes light up with excitement, and that joy is contagious.
One of the best parts of this experience has been interacting with Kat and watching her grow. It’s not just about numbers—it’s about building trust, persistence, and joy in learning. Tutoring has reminded me why I’m so passionate about education.

Nene: Volunteering with the Penn GSE Tutoring Initiative has been a meaningful and memorable part of my journey since moving to the U.S. and beginning the International Educational Development program. In many of our classes, we often discussed education systems around the world, which sparked my curiosity about how things work here in the U.S. When I came across the opportunity to tutor through this initiative, it felt like the perfect way to gain firsthand insight into the system while also giving back. After completing a thoughtfully designed literacy training, I was paired with a fifth-grade student, and we’ve been working together ever since. He’s ten years old, and over time, we’ve built a great connection—starting with simply getting to know each other and gradually focusing on the literacy areas where he needed the most support, especially making inferences from texts. Our sessions are interactive and fun, often incorporating creative games that keep him engaged and excited to learn. For me, volunteering is something I value deeply—wherever I go, I seek ways to serve the community around me. It’s a way to give back, stay connected, and continue growing both personally and professionally.

Ana-Carina: For the fall and spring semesters, I tutored at the Andrew Hamilton School in West Philadelphia. My tutoring kid was a cute little 2nd grader for English language and literature. Over the two semesters I worked with her, we established a very close relationship, making every session extremely special and so much fun. Thanks to Kelsey and Julie, I always got a lot of support with planning my sessions and rethinking what my tutoring kid might need to tailor every lesson according to her needs. We fell in love with reading thanks to Piggy and Gerald, danced with -ay and -y sounds to our very own learning song, and wrote our own little tutoring book. I am incredibly grateful for meeting my tutoring kid. I learned a lot during this time about myself as a person and a teacher, and I will definitely miss her a lot!