Separated Together: Distance-Learning at Urban Ventures
Just inside the Colin Powell Center, past the temperature scanner and hand sanitizer, sit dozens of desks with plexiglass dividers. For months, this makeshift classroom spread out in Urban Ventures' gymnasium has been the closest thing to a school that local children have attended.
"When the pandemic changed everything, we knew we had to change too," says Franklin Briceño, Director of Urban Ventures Center for Families. "We knew families would need help, and we had the space and the people to help parents and students."
Damarien is one of these students. Twice a week he shows up with his tablet and sits at his assigned desk. Volunteers are there to help him connect to the Wi-Fi and log in to his fourth-grade class.
Distance learning has been hard, Damarien admits. "I miss being with my friends and doing subjects together. But I like seeing other people [at Urban Ventures], and the helpers are really nice."
His mom, Tija, shares his gratitude for a place where students can interact with one another. She feels the impact distance learning is having on the kids. "I feel like it is a lost year for the kids. They need the interaction."
Many parents struggle to find the time or energy to educate at home. "It does get stressful, and you want to throw in the towel,” Tija says. “You just try your hardest because you don't want your kid to fail in the long run."
The desire for Damarien to have a shot at a better future is what keeps Tija and many Urban Ventures parents working hard even when it's difficult. She says, "I know some parents might be lenient, but I'm on him. We're not going to let this push him back."
With schools partially reopening, Urban Ventures is transitioning from temporary distance learning space to after-school and tutoring programs. The academic achievement gap has grown during the pandemic, but thanks to Urban Ventures' tutoring program, students like Damarien are making gains while some peers are slipping. "The program is important because not everyone can afford a tutor, and it really makes a difference," Tija shares. "If I didn't have it, I don't know what I would do."
Tija considers herself one of the luckier parents in the neighborhood. Her job has been more flexible and understanding of the tough position parents are in. Many families are facing even more challenges, and she sees how Urban Ventures is a valuable resource for hard-working parents who are running out of options.
"What Urban Ventures does is year-round,” Tija says. “Yes, it changed because of COVID, but they have good motives to help the kids in the community no matter what. They provide help when people need it. It helps a lot of families who are really having a hard time right now."
You can help students like Damarien by donating to Urban Ventures. Donate now.
