Advocacy Celebration Empowers Students at The Hope

    Informing, motivating, and advocating.These three verbs were used very widely last week at The Hope.

    Education at The Academy of Hope is broader than a passing grade or even the GED certificate.  It is the power to make a difference in all facets of life including in the community, and at the polls. With the mayoral election in full swing, The Hope staff wanted to put on an event in order to empower students to learn about the issues that affect their lives and the DC neighborhoods in which they live and work.  

    There is an overwhelming sense of economic and structural inequality for DC residents. Learning about the issues behind these feelings is empowering for students.

    “It’s a validation of discomfort that they feel, and there are real issues behind those emotions that their peers feel too,” Meghan, a social studies instructor and organizer of the event explained. “You’re saying ‘you’re right’. And that’s powerful. We're showing that there is a way for people to be engaged and to change the conditions they’re in.”

         Students proudly pose stating what issue
         the care about the most 

    Last Tuesday, students crowded classrooms participating in activities focusing on DC geography and demographics, DC vs. federal government, mayoral candidate topics, government budget, gentrification, and voting disenfranchisement. At the final station, students proudly posed for a photo while standing up for the topic that mattered most to them and voted in a mayoral election straw poll. Mauriel Bauser won The Hope’s election.

    Students gained mayoral candidate trading cards for each station, and classes competed with others for involvement. Student’s even presented mayoral informational posters at one station, and led the discussion.

    “They just did such a good job. They were the ones presenting and teaching,” Brittany, lead instructor said. “That’s one of the goals of Academy of Hope.”

Mayor Gray check out a station where

students matched up the different branches 

of the government

    The original idea sprouted from the Social Studies curriculum. Starting in January, students started learning about the three branches of government, the Senate, House and Congress work to pass laws. As the mayoral election campaigning ramped up in March, the idea to educate all of The Hope community about the topics involved with this election became the main focus.

    “We wanted  to have students  motivated to vote and to be informed about issues and candidates,” Meghan said. “My dream was exactly what happened. All the students were getting involved in something that was really fun and interesting to them. The work that we did together planning all the rooms turned out great.”

    The teachers noticed as they started teaching the political curriculum, there was a  lack of connection between big-sector issues and their own lives.This event aimed at connecting the political system and personal lives of students.

Director Lecsester greets Mayor Gray

    “I think our objective was giving people information about how to get out the vote. Showing why it’s important to get informed, so even if no one went out and voted about this I’d be fine, as long as they were informed. Even that is a decision.” Meghan said.

    The students saw truly how much their voice can be heard because the current Mayor (as of last week), Vincent Gray made a special appearance. He, and his camera crew, walked to all the stations, socializing with The Hope students and staff. One comedic moment was when he checked out a poster that was made about his political platform by a social studies class student. He stared at it very seriously before walking to the next classroom. 

    After his visit full of shaking hands, posing for pictures and learning about The Hope’s curriculum and Advocacy Celebration, he entered his vote into the straw poll. He voted for himself.

    For next year, Meghan wants to add a station where students can learn about all the positive changes that are being made because of citizens staying informed and standing up for issues that affect them.

    “People feel tension and a lack of power in the system, this event helps gives them a voice. There is progress, it’s just buried behind all the bad news.” 

The High Cost of Transportation: When Showing Up is Half the Battle

This post was originally written for DC Alliance of Youth Advoactes: DCAYA on their blog, Youth Friendly DC by The Hope's Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, Patricia DeFerrari.

Whitney is an unassuming, quiet but friendly young woman who, like her peers, has earplugs in her ears more often than not.  But don’t be fooled by her appearances.  She is a very determined young woman. She is not yet 19 years old, but she is already a mother, working hard to move from transitional housing and dependence on TANF assistance to employment that will allow her to provide for herself and her child.  She earned her GED last September, but she knows to get a job that pays enough to sustain her and her child, she needs college and/or a postsecondary credential.  That’s why she’s enrolled in bridge-to-college classes at Academy of Hope.

When Whitney first enrolled at Academy of Hope, she was part of a DOES-funded GED program for youth that included a transportation stipend.  For Whitney, this meant that she could take the Metro from her transitional housing in South East DC to Edgewood Terrace near the Rhode Island Avenue Metro, where Academy of Hope’s Strive for Success classes were held.  It took about 45 minutes and cost between $2.05 and $4.10 each way. The cost, of course, depended on the time of day she traveled (peak times to get to school, non-peak to get back home) and whether she took a bus to school from the Rhode Island Metro or chose to take the 10-minute walk.  When funding for transportation stipends ended, Whitney’s commute to school became both a financial burden and a larger time commitment.  In order to save money, Whitney no longer rides the Metro. She takes a couple of buses and spends more than an hour traveling each way.  The trip costs $1.60 each way, which amounts to $3.20 a day, $12.80 for the four days of class a week and $16.00 a week if she comes in for tutoring on Friday.  The extra 15-20 minutes commuting each way adds more than a couple of hours a week.

To those of us with salaried jobs, whether middle wages or high end, $16 a week doesn’t sound like all that much money, but put it in context.  $16 a week is $48 a month. Whitney’s total income for the month is $336, which she receives through TANF.  A third of that goes to rent at the transitional house where she is living.  That leaves $216 for everything else, including food, diapers for the baby, clothing, personal hygiene, transportation, etc. for the month.  Whitney feels lucky because she’s healthy and her baby’s healthy, so she doesn’t have to decide between medicine and transportation. She is determined to get the education she needs for a better life for herself and her daughter.

There are other students who don’t have even the minimal income of TANF or supportive housing who struggle to meet their basic needs, who live even farther away from school or have more family members dependent on them. These students end up dropping out of school because they simply cannot win the battle of showing up to class. Providing assistance, such  as a transportation stipend or extending Kids Ride Free, will break down a major barrier that prevents non-traditional students, such as Whitney, from breaking the cycle of poverty. Whitney is making the commitment to show up to class and better her situation. Now it's the city's turn to ease Whitney's ride to school so she may continue changing her life not only for herself, but for child.

 

Patricia DeFerrari is the Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Academy of Hope. Patricia works to ensure DC is a more equitable and prosperous city by speaking up for adults with low literacy. 

Coming Back Home: Loucace’s Story

Loucace Ampe is far away from her roots in West Africa but found “home” at The Hope. Eighteen years ago she moved to the United States from the Ivory Coast. When she left Africa, she left school behind.

Her primary language is French and she learned English on-the-go when she came to DC, through soap operas like “Days of Our Lives”.

Continuing her education was always on her mind after moving to DC, although the challenges of getting loans for school and the pressures of work kept her from fulfilling her education. “I just put my education on the back burner,” she commented.

Then, her two children and a husband made time fly by. Nearly two decades passed until Loucace finally took the courageous step to continue her education. She and a close friend decided together it was time but didn't know where to start. So like so many who are looking for information, they looked online and stumbled upon The Hope’s program.

“The Academy of Hope is like coming home to me because when you are home you feel comfortable. There are no barriers, all your mindset and fears, your doubts, everything you have to put it down. When you come here you put it all down,” she said.

In just a year and a half Loucace conquered the General Education Development (GED), and graduated at The Hope’s May ceremony.

“I was challenged with math because how fractions are done there and here are different,” she said about her first months at The Hope. “I didn't think I would learn that much after [not being in school] for 18 years, and I didn't think that everything would rush back to me. But the people here were tremendous help to me.”

While it was always in her heart to go to college, it became even more important when her two children started school. She has an eight and eleven year old, and she wanted to be able to help them with their homework.

“My 11 year old wants to be a biologist, he loves science. And my little one is a complete artist, he has multiple facets; he can sing, he can read, he is everywhere, so I really don’t know what he will do. He is very creative.”

When Loucace was working on algebra, her son was as well. They would do their homework together at the kitchen table. “We would help each other.”

But at first, she wasn't excited about her education like she is now, two years later.

“At the beginning I was feeling really bad, ‘I was like man look at me at this age, going to college at his age, what am I going to tell my kids?”

“So I got stuck in that mentality for a while. I didn't even tell them I was going to school. But after my mentor talked to me and I saw adults in the college with me I thought ‘wow this is amazing, I’m not alone, why should I feel bad?’”

Her kids were supportive when she opened up to them, came to her graduation and are now cheering her on at college. Loucace’s husband is a doctorate in ministry and has been her backbone through her education journey thus far.  And it isn't done.

She is currently at University of the District of Columbia (UDC) starting her bachelors degree. She hasn't decided yet what she will major in but she is interested in working with people and computers.

Not only is she taking five classes right now, juggling work and family…she also won a scholarship that helps her with tuition.

While Louace loves being at UDC, she says she misses coming to The Hope.

“The lady at the front desk the first day had a huge smile on her face; she still has the same attitude. She smiles every day. It’s amazing. The teaching material is awesome. It covers everything from one plus one to how to open a bank account… what else could you ask for?”

“I mean, like I said, coming back here is like coming home.”

When Louace was asked what she would tell other students who are going back to school, she said “it's never too late and I really thank God for all of [The Hope staff]. I wish I could help all your wishes to come true like you made mine,” she said with a smile. 

From Colorado to DC, Learning About Education Means Stepping Outside the Classroom

I was born and raised in FortCollins, Colorado, across the country, seventeen hundred miles away from DC. My childhood was lived on a college campus. My dad is a college professor. I went to preschool on campus, spent school holidays in lecture halls and learned how to organize engineering exams as soon as I learned the alphabet by laying in the living room with hundreds of papers surrounding my dad, sister and I…alphabetically by last name, and then first.

The importance of education has always been a huge part of my life, it was assumed early on that I would attend and finish college, and it was this way with most of the people that attended grade school to high school with me. The dropout rate of the school district I attended was only approximately 4.1%.

This is an exceptional statistic that does not mirror the rest of the country, or even state. I started to get into journalism in High School because it let me explore out of the bubble in which I was living. The bubble in which education was the norm, middle-income peers were all around me and tree-and- flower beds lined most streets. While writing on my high school newspaper, I finally had a reason to explore past all this, to tell stories behind what most see. Everyone has a story, and most don’t get told.

          One of these stories I learned through writing is that the city I thought I knew so well, had a second face that was rarely talked about. According to the 2009 census, over 25% of Fort Collins residents live below poverty line. It took me until I was 18 years old to learn that statistic, and many live in Fort Collins their whole lives without truly understanding the challenging aspects of the town. Sure there are great organizations working to help families struggling, but public awareness of the poverty level seems virtually absent.

      I then went to college in Fort Collins for Communication Studies and I made it a goal that I would use the writing, digital media and outreach skills I was learning in the classroom, out of the classroom to help those that need a voice. When my dad started a project in DC for work, it was astounding to me to learn that our nation’s capital of Washington, D.C. had the highest rate of high school dropouts in the nation, at almost 60%. And, in all the media coverage of the area, political news overwhelms public perception about the area and the education and poverty levels aren’t given close to enough national attention. It didn’t seem right to me.

         I had a hard time focusing in my classes on just textbook work. I would write all my papers on literacy in America, dropout rates around the nation, and economic disparities around me. National Public Radio did an extensive series on how the economy is affected by just this. The series originated with WAMU, the leading public radio station in the greater Washington, DC area by education and poverty Special Correspondent Kavitha Cardoza. Her article "Adding Up The Cost Of Low Literacy Among Adults"  drew me to The Hope. Her story later became a full documentary series called "Breaking Ground".
        I decided it was time I take a break from schooling and further understand my passion for community development and education communication. I learned about Academy of Hope through the NPR piece. I now am working on putting students and teachers stories on the blog, social media coverage, data input and anything else AoH needs help with. I am truly excited and humbled to be able to learn about such an amazing organization that is giving students their own voice, to tell their own story, everyday.

- Mary Willson, Communication and Data Intern 

Getting 'A Kick Out of Fractions', And An Award From The Mayor

Imagine my surprise when I received an email one day recently from the Mayor’s Office of Volunteerism informing me that I was this year’s recipient of the Mayor’s Community Service Award in the category of Education. I received my award, a crystal obelisk of the Washington, Monument, at a ceremony held in the beautiful Mayor’s Ceremonial Room in the Wilson Building.  Mayor Gray spoke about the importance of volunteerism and how it brings the city together. I am still amazed and thrilled that I could have been chosen for such an honor.

 For the last few years I have been a volunteer tutor and math teacher in Academy of Hope’s daytime program.  I’ve taught the basic course in whole numbers, and the course in decimals, but my real favorite is fractions, which I teach now. I’m not sure why I get such a kick out of fractions, but it may be largely because so many of my students approach it with apprehension and that makes it very satisfying to help them overcome this attitude. For many, understanding fractions was something they were overwhelmed by in school, and their failure to master it may have been a turning point in their education.  Conquering fractions gives them the confidence to move on toward high school level math and eventually to the GED.

Certainly, the greatest satisfaction one finds in teaching is the memory of those unexpected moments when students suddenly “get it” and realize that can understand math.  To have the AoH faculty write up a description of my efforts, to have those words chosen for recognition, and to have them read out in a public ceremony, was a pretty awesome event that I will never forget.  It was a highlight for me and I will always be enormously grateful.

- Dilys Lande, longtime volunteer 

Local Leaders Carry on MLK Jr.'s Dream

Last month we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is a day we pay homage to our society’s ability to see past life’s limitations and disappointments and honor the most noble aspirations that live in us both individually and collectively.  Today we remember and pay respect to a world without gross inequality, where all humans are valued for the potential they hold regardless of social status or background.

Lecester Johnson stands with AoH Graduate

We also honor the brave individuals who have made it their life’s purpose to turn these dreams into reality.  Leaders whose actions, words, and examples embody the principles that Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for – equality, justice, and hope.  Leaders like Lecester Johnson, Executive Director of Academy of Hope, recipient of Georgetown University’s Legacy of a Dream Award for 2014.

Academy of Hope provides adult education, employment resources and tutoring. But in fact, its founding vision is building hope in the hearts of those struggling to overcome life’s most obstinate challenges – poverty, underemployment, and disempowerment.  Academy of Hope provides a nurturing environment for dreams to take root and the tools for its learners to actualize them little by little – to find steady work, set a good example for their children, or challenge themselves to live more fulfilling and productive lives.

We honor Lecester Johnson and others who have brought the Washington, DC community one step closer to King’s dream.  Because the purpose of MLK Jr. Day is not to revere a great leader who once gave a great speech, who is now just a black and white figure in our history books and our calendars.  The purpose is to remember the great cause that he stood for – social equality – and to celebrate those who advancing this same cause to this day.

Places like Academy of Hope ensure that dreams like King’s stay alive and build the foundation for a more just and loving society.  We applaud Lecester Johnson, her staff, and the volunteer teachers for the work that they do and honor her alongside those pursuing their dream for a better world.

Reaching new heights

Last week Kate and Jim, Academy of Hope volunteers, took their reading class on a special behind-the-scenes tour of the Capitol. Kate wrote about this experience in her own words.

 I work on Capitol Hill.  Of the hundreds of Capitol tours I have given over the years, none have meant more to me than the one I gave to Diane, Sharon and Charles.

At the beginning of the term, we set a goal to read an entire book cover to cover—an accomplishment some of our students had yet to achieve in their lives.  For the past 14 weeks, we have been reading together "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry," a story about post-slavery racism and discrimination.  All of our students shared stories of their ancestors being slaves, their perceptions of racism today and how they can face their own struggles with courage and hope.


We finished the book two weeks ago and to celebrate this monumental achievement, I took them on a tour of the Capitol—a place they had never visited even though all three of them were born and raised here in DC.


I took them to the Old Supreme Court Chamber where the Dred Scott case was argued and handed down.  I took them to the Old Senate Chamber where Senator Charles Sumner was caned, and where most of the slavery debates prior to the Civil War took place.  And finally I took them to see the new statue of Rosa Parks in Statuary Hall.  My eyes watered as they talked about what freedom in our country means to them.


People sometimes ask me how I make time each week to teach at AOH.  But how could I not?  I learn more from them than they could ever learn from me.  I may be teaching them how to read, but they are teaching me to be more compassionate, more kind and more charitable.  It helps me to be a little more grateful for all of the blessings in my life—including the ability to read this email without any assistance.  I’m reminded that some of our neighbors aren't as fortunate.

And that’s the story of our Capitol tour!

-Kate, Academy of Hope evening volunteer