STEM Forward Tech Exclusions Campaign
Donation protected
We need your help! We've been looking what we can personally do during this time however small.
We need tech at our school! After seeing a post that you should "never underestimate the power of asking", we're acting on this! Whilst some schools, in particular our school La Sainte Union, have remained open for vulnerable children and the children of key workers, and rightly so, we fear that our young people from recognised disadvantaged backgrounds which include girls not being able to access learning platforms due to lack of accessible technology.
Act now. We are asking if you can donate however small to our STEM/tech exclusion campaign aimed at ensuring ALL pupils have access to suitable materials but also to mobile data when required, to laptops and digital solutions which will enable their learning to continue throughout this Covid-19 period.
After looking at what's currently in place, we are concerned that the Governments current guidance to schools does not explicitly reference those with limited or no digital access and does not appear to be very inclusive. Additionally, due to a lack of clear national policy, home education provision and resources seem to vary from school to school. (Bearing in mind of course that this pandemic was not planned for - still something should be in place).
At present, most schools including ours is relying on online learning platforms for the young girls to access work at home, Microsoft Teams, Dr Frost Maths, Kerboodle and Firefly in our case. However, this presents a challenge for many of our pupils who still face digital exclusion and who still do not have access to a laptop or broadband at home. They might also have the additional disadvantage of having parents with language barriers, literacy issues and/or poor access to educational resources.
It is our caring duty to help and support as many families that may be more vulnerable to the virus because of financial insecurity and impracticability of isolation. It's embedded in our DNA through our advocacy work, that we should speak out for those needy and this is where we need your help.
We know a few young people within our circle who have taken up caring roles to their responsible adults which is also affecting their ability to learn. Digital exclusion (we've had to educate ourselves on this topic) affects not only young people but many parents who maybe, through their own educational experiences, may feel inadequate and will find it difficult to support their children learning at home (particularly without online access). We are looking at gaps where we can help and you can help too.
What do we need? At present we have 36 students from all backgrounds without laptops or computers at home of these 12 are without access to Wifi at our school. We have a further 76 students who are sharing a computer with a parent or sibling/s the most needy of these are those sharing a device between 5 or 4 persons of which we have 8. These will be prioritised.
In order to have an impact we would like to be able to provide access for ALL pupils beginning with LSU and throughout Camden with technology but we have to be realistic. Our SMART objectives tell us this is achievable with your help. We have set our target for £500 which we have met. This will pay for two laptops with dongal connection. We are starting small and relying on the generosity of good will friends and people to donate or share the campaign/fundraiser to gain momentum and ultimately change policies. Our stretch goal is £2000 reaching 8 girls. We hope this is helpful.
Dear friends, it is crucial that we ensure the educational gaps that these young girls are facing are not widened further by the response to the pandemic. Access to a laptop will go a long way, who knows out there are budding STEMettes ready to be leashed into our world the only thing stopping them is access to technology.
Summer and Wynter.
https://www.facebook.com/reacheverylastchild/
We need tech at our school! After seeing a post that you should "never underestimate the power of asking", we're acting on this! Whilst some schools, in particular our school La Sainte Union, have remained open for vulnerable children and the children of key workers, and rightly so, we fear that our young people from recognised disadvantaged backgrounds which include girls not being able to access learning platforms due to lack of accessible technology.
Act now. We are asking if you can donate however small to our STEM/tech exclusion campaign aimed at ensuring ALL pupils have access to suitable materials but also to mobile data when required, to laptops and digital solutions which will enable their learning to continue throughout this Covid-19 period.
After looking at what's currently in place, we are concerned that the Governments current guidance to schools does not explicitly reference those with limited or no digital access and does not appear to be very inclusive. Additionally, due to a lack of clear national policy, home education provision and resources seem to vary from school to school. (Bearing in mind of course that this pandemic was not planned for - still something should be in place).
At present, most schools including ours is relying on online learning platforms for the young girls to access work at home, Microsoft Teams, Dr Frost Maths, Kerboodle and Firefly in our case. However, this presents a challenge for many of our pupils who still face digital exclusion and who still do not have access to a laptop or broadband at home. They might also have the additional disadvantage of having parents with language barriers, literacy issues and/or poor access to educational resources.
It is our caring duty to help and support as many families that may be more vulnerable to the virus because of financial insecurity and impracticability of isolation. It's embedded in our DNA through our advocacy work, that we should speak out for those needy and this is where we need your help.
We know a few young people within our circle who have taken up caring roles to their responsible adults which is also affecting their ability to learn. Digital exclusion (we've had to educate ourselves on this topic) affects not only young people but many parents who maybe, through their own educational experiences, may feel inadequate and will find it difficult to support their children learning at home (particularly without online access). We are looking at gaps where we can help and you can help too.
What do we need? At present we have 36 students from all backgrounds without laptops or computers at home of these 12 are without access to Wifi at our school. We have a further 76 students who are sharing a computer with a parent or sibling/s the most needy of these are those sharing a device between 5 or 4 persons of which we have 8. These will be prioritised.
In order to have an impact we would like to be able to provide access for ALL pupils beginning with LSU and throughout Camden with technology but we have to be realistic. Our SMART objectives tell us this is achievable with your help. We have set our target for £500 which we have met. This will pay for two laptops with dongal connection. We are starting small and relying on the generosity of good will friends and people to donate or share the campaign/fundraiser to gain momentum and ultimately change policies. Our stretch goal is £2000 reaching 8 girls. We hope this is helpful.
Dear friends, it is crucial that we ensure the educational gaps that these young girls are facing are not widened further by the response to the pandemic. Access to a laptop will go a long way, who knows out there are budding STEMettes ready to be leashed into our world the only thing stopping them is access to technology.
Summer and Wynter.
https://www.facebook.com/reacheverylastchild/
Organizer
Summer Wynter McNamee
Organizer
