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How can you help?

PEP volunteers help by investing their time and sharing their personal experiences and knowledge. Volunteers expose in-custody students to substantive content that allows them to transform their lives. Each volunteer commits to one 60 or 90-minute session per week for seven weeks. Volunteers give presentations in groups in modules such as:  

Academic Orientation, Life Skills, Creative Enrichment.

What is Prison Education?

Volunteer

Academic Orientation Module: Introduction to College, Introductory Courses in Math, Writing, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, Astronomy, and STEM Fields
 

Life Skills Module: Career Development, Soft Skills, Financial Literacy, Forgiveness & Healing, Building Healthy Relationships.
 

Creative Enrichment Module: Creative Writing, Creative Expression, Screenwriting, Film Studies, Music, Shakespeare, Yoga & Meditation, Modern Dance, Creative Expression, Mindfulness
 

There are three 7-Week PEP semesters during the year: Fall, Spring, Summer. There is a mandatory orientation session for new volunteers at the beginning of each PEP semester. See PEP Course Outlines. Approximately 25% of PEP courses are taught virtually via Zoom, which means that volunteers who reside outside of California can volunteer. Our Spring Semester 2025 Semester Orientation will be held virtually on Sunday, January 26, 2:00-3:00 p.m. If you are interested in teaching with PEP during the Spring Semester sign up on this Interest Form. Spring courses will begin on February 22 and end on April 5.

PEP student volunteers are from various colleges, including: USC, UC Irvine, Harvey Mudd College, Western University of Health Sciences, Claremont McKenna, San Diego State, Cal State San Bernardino
, UC Davis, Sacramento State, Cal Poly Pomona, Pepperdine, Pitzer College, Cal State Los Angeles, UC Riverside, UCLA, Cal State Fullerton, Pasadena City College.

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