What are DSP students creating now, in the midst of COVID?
Here at the Dream School Project, the entire focus of the program is to launch a project that showcases a student’s unique interests and serves the community in a meaningful way.
So, whenever students arrive upon an idea they’re especially excited about, we are always asking, “How can we make this work?”
And when it’s not working? We pivot!
Success: Audible Is Knocking!
Jolie, for example, was passionate about working with the homeless. But after many failed attempts to figure out how she could serve the homeless in the midst of a pandemic, she switched gears.
She began making short personal videos intended to inspire her audience to reflect more deeply on their lives, especially in the midst of this quarantine. The videos were so touching that when she shared them in class, she moved us all to tears!
A few days later, a friend of Jolie’s mother who works at Audible got to see the video. She was so touched by Jolie’s words that she pitched the video to Audible’s CEO as an example of the kind of podcast they could launch for teens.
As you can imagine, Jolie was thrilled! She doesn’t yet know what is coming of Audible’s interest, but she’s continuing to create new videos and is eager to impact others with her unique way of looking at the world.
Success: Finding a Whole New Community to Serve
Meanwhile, this past fall, two of my students were eager to launch mentoring programs for younger students. Particularly with the pressure of online learning during this COVID pandemic, they sensed that many students could use an extra level of support.
They did their research, reached out to local elementary and middle schools, prepared their lesson plans, and received many excited thank you’s in return.
But despite repeated emails and phone calls, neither of these students ever heard back from the staff members they’d been talking to.
We started to realize the harsh reality — that there simply weren’t any urgent needs for the kids in the affluent communities where they’d grown up.
That’s when we learned about the Congolese refugee community in Albany, NY. Because they spent their childhoods running from violence, many of them never learned to read and write.
Now, having escaped the terror of their homeland, they’ve found refuge here in the US, but they have yet to learn English or literacy skills, particularly because COVID has shut down so many of the essential services they need.
These single mothers are trying to figure out how to support their large families of 6 to 10 children, without being able to drive, get a job, or communicate with anyone outside of their refugee community.
“Thank you for thinking about the mamas”
So, now I am helping my students launch a series of online literacy/ESL classes for these mothers.
My students were thrilled when I introduced the idea to them. “How can we help? What can we do?” they clamored in our class a few weeks ago.
Already, the response has been extraordinary. “Thank you for thinking about the mamas,” one mother said through an interpreter. “We are so used to everyone around us focusing on our children. But really, the mamas need the most support.”
It has been such an honor to support this community. We were able to nominate 26 families to receive Christmas gifts for their children, and in the midst of this isolating time when funds are even tighter than usual, the gifts have been pouring in.
Proactive leadership: exactly what the colleges are looking for
This kind of proactive leadership is what we’re all about in the Dream School Project. And it’s THIS exactly that the colleges are looking for: students who look around to discover a real need, and then do everything in their power to create a solution.
It just plain works. Just ask Megna, who was accepted to Pitzer last Friday. I’ll tell you her story in my next blog post!
In the meantime, would you like to see your student creating something just as impactful? Reach out to me here, and we’ll set up a time to talk through the best strategy.