Good Neighbor Center (Saint Paul)

Empowerment through Education

 We are the Good Neighbor Center (GNC), a tutoring and mentoring non-profit located at 441 Rice Street in St. Paul. We provide free tutoring services to young people in grades K-12, and volunteer opportunities for those looking to get involved in the community. All are welcome at the Good Neighbor Center. GNC serves a thriving community of young people and their families, the majority of which come from a refugee or immigrant background. In addition, many of our young people and their families have English as a second- or even third or fourth- language. The program is free to all who want to learn, and our goal is to provide enrichment opportunities for young people with fewer economic resources in an effort to decrease the incidence of the ‘achievement’ gap, which often stems from a lack of opportunities for enrichment, due to systemic factors.      

Under normal circumstances, GNC holds programming each week on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings, year-round. However, COVID 19 has forced our program to pivot to better meet the needs of our young people while keeping everyone safe and healthy. GNC has had to cancel in-person programming due to the public health risk associated with large gatherings. GNC has shifted to providing online homework help, and our young people know they can reach out if they need help  or have a question on their assignment. In addition, GNC has been providing young people and their families with activities and books for their homes, as many do not have the resources to go out and buy these things. GNC is listening to the families that we serve and providing resources based on their needs.