LEARNYes We Can: Schools On Wheels
The Yes We Can: Schools on Wheels bilingual program consists of a mobile classroom that brings an innovative approach to learning by providing an unconventional learning hub to communities often forgotten. The mobile classroom takes away the challenge of access to quality education by bringing the resource to the community instead of the community having to find it.
Briefly tell us a story that demonstrates how your organization turns inspiration into impact.
Yes We Can World Foundation was born out of the need to have an educational program available for children in need who at the moment did not have a clear legal status. Our organization was born to provide aid for the children of the so called “migrant caravans” inside the Barretal Refugee Camp in Tijuana Mexico. After a successful two month pilot program inside the camp that we called Yes We Can: Pop-Up Schools we came back home to Los Angeles and quickly realized access to education was the biggest hurdle in the children’s lives there as it is here in our Los Angeles communities. That realization gave birth to the Schools On Wheels bilingual program and inspiration turned into action within a couple of weeks. Once the spark lit the fire we reached out to our community members and raised $17,000 which helped us acquire the first bus and begin the conversion process to turn it into a mobile classroom. The Schools On Wheels program is a program by the people for the people. We have shared the conversion process with our community over social media and the impact the mobile classroom has had within our community has been pouring out with multiple requests to visit schools in the LAUSD areas as well as new original programs looking for a way to reach children in need and that is how we have turned inspiration into impact.
Which of the LEARN metrics will your submission impact?
Proficiency in English and Language Arts and Math
Enrollment in early care and education programs
Truancy rates in elementary and middle schools
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
Central LA
East LA
South LA
LAUSD
How will your project make LA the best place to LEARN?
The Yes We Can: Schools On Wheels program and the Beyond The Classroom program will be executed strategically through a series of smaller programs to accomplish our goals.
a. Outreach: Reach out to LAUSD schools with budget cuts in their after school programs as well as cuts in their arts programs. The outreach will also consist of reaching out to low income communities such as East LA, Boyle Heights, Compton, South LA.
b. Connect: In the connect stage we are looking to connect and find some key team members to help Yes We Can accomplish our goals. We are talking about collaborations amongst nonprofits and connecting resources to the program so the children can have opportunities beyond their participation in the Yes We Can programs.
LA is one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the US. According to the 2010 US Census 48.5% of residents in LA are Hispanic and live in neighborhoods such as East LA (96.7% latino), Huntington Park (95.1% Latino), Boyle Heights (94% latino) and many more in the south LA areas.
TIMELINE:
April 2019 - Complete the build of the Schools on Wheels Mobile Classroom.
May 2019 - August 2019: Summer: Focus on educational summer camp activities, create summer reading book clubs, and team up with local school districts to hold technology, art and language classes for kids. This will be provide learning opportunities for kids with no access to paid summer camps due to location or family finances.
September 2019 - December 2019:
Fall: We will purchase the second vehicle for the “Beyond The Classroom” program. At this point we will have a calendar and programs alined with 3 specific schools in three neighborhoods. The combination of the Schools On Wheels Bus and the Beyond The Classroom bus will engage children in learning courses and traveling to specific field trips to complement their work in the classroom. One of our goals for Fall 2019 is to expose kids in the program to unexpected opportunities in the fields of language arts, math, technology, science, entertainment, and the arts.
January 2020 - April 2020
Spring: By Spring of 2020 our programs will bloom into successful metrics as we look forward to a fully developed system working with LAUSD for the new school year of 2020 - 2021.
Places we look forward to collaborating with: California Science center,LA Zoo,LA Brea Tar Pits, J.P.L.,WB Studios, and more.
MEASURABLE PROGRESS:
When every member of the community has equal opportunity then everyone thrives. Our programs will create an engaging and impactful bilingual educational experience for the less fortunate communities in Los Angeles. It's not just statistics that will make this change it is the programs innovation and the opportunity for those who don't have access to a strong education program that will help make Los Angeles the best place to LEARN and PLAY.
In what stage of innovation is this project?
Post-pilot (testing an expansion of concept after initially successful pilot)
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
We define our success by the impact we have on students lives, supporting their interests and getting them engaged and excited about school. In a more abstract measure we believe that just getting a child interested in learning again or finding his/her passion during a field trip as a major success. Our creative approach to learning impacts students lives greatly because they discover a focus and develop aspirations for the future. We also have our own metrics system that will survey and measure students engagement, grades and what their goals are for the future. Along with our own metrics we plan to work with LA school districts in the specific cities we serve and measure success by helping to bring up the overall grades and attendance records of those school districts.