During the 2020-21 school year, teachers are all adjusting their curriculum to teach traditional topics in a new format - how do we teach algebra over Zoom? But we’ve been scrambling so much to squeeze what is “normal” into our new environment that we’ve failed to accept the reality of our current situation and practice coping mechanisms to deal with it. And more than anyone in our society, we need to make sure that students and young voices have the coping mechanisms to navigate through the current challenges we’re all facing.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, over 1,700 schools across NYC, the nation’s largest school district, shifted to remote learning. Many low income and special needs students do not have the resources at home to master online learning, which also leaves further strain on parents, students, and staff.

We can try to equip our students with the technological equipment to cope with this transition, by providing tablets and other material to use at home, but we still need to provide a set of mental and emotional tools.

To fill this gap, Leave It Better (LIB) began developing a unique online education program intended to empower youth with interactive courses on topics that are not covered in their public education curriculum, including how to improve their mental and physical health, improve the environment in their local community, and document their stories along the way.

This online curriculum was inspired by our in-person program, which we have offered to over 12,000 students across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, since 2009. LIB historically works with vulnerable populations in low-income schools, and we will prioritize the same students for this online program, because they have been most negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

Now we are piloting our new self-care online program with P94 in the Lower East Side. From there, the ultimate goal of LIB online is to provide a platform where students in NYC can access educational programming that focuses on cultivating mindfulness, exploring urban gardening techniques, and building a more sustainable, compassionate community.  If awarded, this funding will be used to build out the LIB online site from July to September in preparation for an October launch for the 2020-2021 school year. In addition to the website, funding will also be used to purchase and distribute DIY kits that students can use to complete the LIB program at home.

The approach we are taking in light of the impacts of the pandemic on NYC’s public school system is innovative because it brings the classroom into our student’s homes, empowering kids to not only be the stewards of their education, but also to become teachers to the rest of their families. Expected budget cuts for the upcoming school year suggest that there will be drastic changes in the programming available to students. We are determined to continue to support our students by designing a robust, interactive online educational program. By the end of the year, after piloting our online program with P94 in the Lower East Side, our intended impact is to equip over 12,000 students across 4 boroughs in NYC with the tools to co-create a more mindful, sustainable world.