In early 2020, four visionary leaders from the YMCA of Greater Boston, Latinos for Education, The BASE, and Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion started plotting their own “Moonshot Project.” Robert Lewis, Vanessa Calderon-Rosado, Amanda Fernandez, and James Morton joined forces to reimagine an education system rooted in justice, equity, and genuine love and care for Black and Latino students and their families. When COVID-19 Pandemic struck, and schools closed in March, the group was faced with the fierce urgency of how to support the needs of working parents and their children. Looking ahead to the 20-21 academic year, the leaders created learning pods known as the Community Learning Collaborative (CLC) for Black and Latinx children who do not live in affluent households to meet and learn at sites throughout the city. Through the Pandemic, the CLC has hosted 13 pods at the Roxbury YMCA, the BASE, and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, serving nearly 160 students.
For young people of color in Boston, the Pandemic has exacerbated long-standing inequities in opportunity and education. These inequities often result from limited access to academic, enrichment, and out-of-school opportunities available to children of wealthier households. That’s where the Community Learning Collaborative answered the call.
Intentionally designed to meet the need where it is situated, the learning pods are located within the neighborhoods most affected by COVID and walking distance of the students who need a safe place to learn. In addition to support with virtual learning and daily enrichment activities, each pod provides two meals per day as well as structured social and emotional support. The whole-child approach includes culturally appropriate curricula, taught and supported by leaders and teachers of color, which contributes to positive self-identities for students.
Partnering with The Lynch Foundation
The Lynch Foundation, inspired by the four leaders and their passion and commitment for young people, brought the group together in the winter of 2019 to develop the “Moonshot Project”, recognizing that the philanthropic community must support and listen to leaders of color if we want to move the needle in matters of equity. With this original commitment, the Foundation followed “Moonshot” funding with grants to the CLC.
In addition to the financial investment, The Lynch Foundation has provided technical support throughout the process to provide more time for Lewis, Calderon-Rosado, Fernandez, and Morton to focus on their vision. An evaluation is being performed on the CLC and findings will be shared both locally and nationally and will provide an outline for the group as they move forward in their quest to reimagine education in Boston.