Support DC Students with Distance Learning

Sign up to virtually tutor or sponsor a DC K-12 student in support Serve Your City/ Ward 6 Mutual Aid Network.  Ensure DC students have access to the quality supplies/tutoring support necessary to excel. 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, DC schools have moved to distance learning. Students are expected to complete their assignments and carry on with the curriculum as usual during distance learning, however, this is difficult for many families. For a variety of reasons, many parents and teachers are unable to give children the individualized attention and necessary resources during these challenging times, making it difficult for students to excel in their studies. The Harvard Club of Washington DC is partnering with Serve Your City and Ward 6 Mutual Aid Network to help empower some of the most vulnerable students in the city by giving them access to the same resources as their more affluent counterparts.
 

Way to Get Involved

Click Here and Sign Up to Tutor a DC K-12 Student

The goal is for tutors to connect with the students’ families for at least one hour, once a week, via some sort of virtual platform (skype, facetime, phonecall, whatsapp etc.) Tutors will help with assignments, homework, and teaching concepts to the best of their ability. Scheduling is flexible and once tutors and families are connected, they can work out the day, time and frequency of their tutoring arrangement. Also, if you have a unique idea to contribute to our workshop/ extra-curricular class programming (Dance, Art, Step, etc) please reach out directly to syctutoringmutualaid@gmail.com
 

Click Here to Sponsor a Student Backpack

An estimated 44% of students don't have access to proper technology or the internet to complete their work. Serve Your City and Ward 6 Mutual Aid Network have partnered together to address these disparities and provide students with backpacks that include a digital device, traditional school supplies, personal protective equipment, and some fun activities to add some back to school joy. In the comments section, please include "Harvard Club of DC" so we can keep track our collective impact and encourage others to become sponsors at the highest level they are able to ensure more students have the opportunity to succeed.
 

Donate Used Laptops, Tablets, or Wifi Modems

Additionally, if you or your company have any old laptops, tablets, or wifi modems that you are willing to donate to help students participate in distance learning, please contact Sharifah Holder at communityservice@harvard-dc.org for more information on how to get these items into the hands of students who need them most.
 

More Information about Serve Your City/ Ward 6 Mutual Aid

Serve Your City’s mission is to provide life-changing experiences and opportunities for under-resourced Washington, D.C. students. It aims to make sure Black and Brown students receive the same opportunities their White counterparts receive. When not faced with a global pandemic, SYC provides programs that include 1) tutoring and college preparatory workshops; 2) the only majority Black youth rowing crew in Washington, D.C.; 3) yoga developed for youth of color; 4) water sports, including swimming lessons, snorkeling, and SCUBA diving instruction; and 5) financial literacy and college preparatory workshops. Given the health emergency, SYC immediately shifted its focus to ensuring that its students and the communities they live in have the resources needed to weather the pandemic and combat the systems that created the crisis. 
 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SYC co-created the DC Mutual Aid Network, which is the central and only mutual aid network in the city serving Wards 5, 6, 7, and 8; and is acting as the lead organizer for mutual aid in Ward 6. The DC Mutual Aid Network is a community-led effort to safely support community members hardest hit by the pandemic. The network is a grassroots, trauma-informed response to the pandemic for the most vulnerable and under-resourced communities in Washington DC. Members of these communities are disproportionately African Americans, People of Color, and those who have recently immigrated to the United States, and bear the burden of systemic poverty, racism, and environmental injustice. The mutual aid network is providing life-saving supplies, food, and PPE.