In 3rd place we have Hejalutz Lamerjav for their project called “Virtual After School” With 10,238 votes, this project wins $3,000.
With the aim of increasing the number of children completing primary and secondary education in vulnerable communities (SDG4), strengthening their resilience and increasing their chances of getting out of poverty (SDG1), the Virtual Afterschool Project proposes to train and connect volunteers with school-age children of remote and/or at risk communities in Argentina using technology platforms to support them with homework and to provide emotional support.
In partnership with the Ministry of Education, students at risk of dropping out will be identified, and a volunteer will be assigned to accompany the student throughout the year by conducting virtual weekly meetings.
The project will be implemented through youth volunteers within the ages 17-30 including: high-school students that will support students at primary-level school, and university students or graduates that will support students of both primary and secondary level. Each volunteer will accompany at least one student throughout the scholar year, conducting weekly meetings of at least 2 hours per meeting. In total it is expected that each volunteer will reach approx. 80 hours of volunteer time per year.
As part of the program, the volunteers will be engaged in virtual peer meetings to be trained and to share experiences and learnings, expecting to empower them and to constitute a virtual community of young Jewish people committed to influence and lead positive changes in their communities.
Shalom Corps Notes:
The organization has experience working in Latin America and in Ukraine. An important component here is working with Board of Education and/or relevant local organizations to identify the students that can most benefit. Project can be scalable, and it addresses a real need across school-age children around the world. Especially those most vulnerable. One challenge to consider is lack of available technology in the student’s homes, which can be addressed with additional fundraising campaigns to purchase equipment, or conduct the volunteering on the school premise on coordination with the school.
