Skip to contents
In This Issue:
At any given time, Pamela Audeh can be found reading to a pre-kindergarten class at Mission Grammar School, overseeing a science project at the Tobin Middle School or working with 150 BWH volunteers who help ensure students have a good experience.
As coordinator of educational programs in the Center for Community Health and Health Equity, Audeh leads four education programs linking what elementary and middle school students learn in the classroom to their lives outside of school.
“I love this work because it’s different everyday,” said Audeh, who recruits volunteers from BWH to staff the programs and collaborates with teachers at the schools to ensure programs fit with their goals.
The four programs are: Science Club, during which BWH volunteers work with students on science projects; Pen Pals, where BWHers are paired up with an elementary student for a letter exchange; BWH Book Buddies, through which BWHers read to students; and Science Works Academic, an opportunity for eighth-grade students to work in the hospital and study neuroscience with Harvard professors and BWH doctors during the summer.
“Everything comes down to giving the students extra support in areas like science, reading and writing,” Audeh said. “These programs help students learn about themselves and become more confident in their ability to learn.”
Audeh decided to focus her career on working with inner city kids after a one-year stint with AmeriCorps in Oakland, where she coordinated educational programs in public housing projects for kids ages 5 to 21. She held a similar position in San Francisco before moving to Boston six years ago.
“I know I’ll always work with youth around education. It’s all about creating an experience to learn from instead of simply telling the kids what they should know. It’s why I do my work,” Audeh said.
For those interested in volunteering for any of the four programs, contact Audeh at paudeh@partners.org