We are headed Back to School…online

Back to School Appeal update (9.3.20): Big thank you to everyone who gave to ReWA’s Back to School appeal last week. Thanks to your support and generosity we raised over $2k for tech purchases and received numerous items from the WishList including laptops, headphones and webcams so students from immigrant and refugee families can stay connected to learning this year. Thank you!

It’s official: Back to School in 2020 will be like no other.

Students and their families are preparing for the school year, whether they will meet online, or perhaps with limited classroom instruction—or a hybrid of the two. While school districts have issued laptops to most students, many still share devices with multiple siblings, and wifi connectivity cost is still an issue. Some families manage this cost by sharing a wifi connection with neighbors, but the slow internet speeds remain a barrier to online learning.

Also, for youth in ReWA’s Post-Secondary Success Program on their way to college, what should be a summer of excitement has been rife with uncertainty. Many recent high school graduates scrambled to find summer work to support their families when their parents lost their jobs. And with family budgets tight, there is no money for laptops to replace school district-issued devices that students returned upon graduation. For some recent grads in immigrant and refugee-headed households, their dreams of higher education may be put on hold.

These are major challenges. But you can help:

With your help we can keep students connected during the coming school year.

Thank you!