Pro BoKnow is an online, nonprofit volunteering platform that aims to become the Uber of the tutoring industry. Currently, tutoring services charge astronomical prices for private tutoring, with Princeton Review charging as much as $450/hr for test prep tutoring. Because parents and students often do not have other ways to gain convenient, consistent access to low-cost tutoring, they are stuck either footing these thousand-dollar bills so their child can succeed or going without because they can't afford it (35% of parents choose not to get their child the tutoring they need due simply to cost).
Similar to how Uber connects people in need of rides with people in need of quick cash who are willing to drive you, Pro BoKnow connects people in need of expertise, knowledge, or academic help with people in need of service opportunities who have expertise in that subject and want to help. Through the online platform, the Millennium Fellow aim to make volunteering quick, easy, and accessible, while also making a quality education something that anyone, regardless of background, can attain. They will measure their impact based on the number of volunteers who use the platform (the starting goal is 150) and the number of students who get academic help from their services (the goal is 300). They plan to achieve this by hosting at least three on-campus recruitment events to gain interest in the project and partnering with at least five on-campus service organizations that can provide us with volunteers. They also plan to promote the project by partnering with NYU and showcasing Pro BoKnow as an additional academic resource for NYU students.