Blog

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, America Forward Coalition organizations are working tirelessly to connect students, families, educators, workers, elected leaders, and advocates with critical tools, information, and resources.  Every week, we’ll be highlighting a few examples of the vitally important work being done by the members of the America Forward Coalition. If your organization has resources, an announcement, or a story that you would like to see included, please send it to america_forward@newprofit.org.

PushBlack: Serving Black Communities With Timely Information and Resources

Black Americans across the U.S. have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. To combat this inequity, PushBlack has leveraged its platform to distribute critical resources to its community, keeping Black Americans up to date as they navigate this crisis. They recently launched their most successful petition in two years, “We Can’t Work, So Why Is Rent Still Expected to be Paid?,” which generated 186,000 signatures and 50,000 new PushBlack subscribers.

Roca: Providing Financial and Food Support to At-Risk Young People 

Young people who are at the highest risk for poverty, violence, trauma, and isolation have become further marginalized amid the COVID-19 crisis. Roca is working to alleviate this risk and stabilize their communities by providing food deliveries and financial support for 1,000 of their young people and families, throughout both Massachusetts and Baltimore, Maryland. 

Education Leaders of Color (EdLoc): Comprehensive Resources for All Communities Confronting the Crisis

Education Leaders of Color realizes “many may seek guidance around best practices as we address COVID-19” and has put together a comprehensive list of resources for schools, parents, nonprofit organizations and businesses to provide timely and relevant information and help their communities maneuver the challenges and support opportunities in response to this crisis. 

Year Up: Connecting Young Adults to Employment Opportunities

The economic impact of COVID-19 has hit hard in communities across the country, especially for young people who were neither enrolled in school nor engaged in the job market prior to this crisis. Year Up has continued working to find employment opportunities for the young adults they serve, as well as advocate for a new, diverse and talented contact tracing workforce to create job opportunities and mobility for those more impacted by COVID-19. 

Bottom Line: Collaborative Space for Sharing on How People and Communities are Being Impacted 

As schools across the country have moved to distance learning and students everywhere face myriad challenges to education, the importance of connection and community with others has become more apparent than ever. Bottom Line has created a space to amplify and share the voices of its members, in order to open up about the ways in which “their lives and work are being impacted” amid the COVID-19 crisis. 

New Teacher Center: A New Podcast on Challenges and Solutions in the Education System

New Teacher Center’s Resource and Community Support Podcast tackles the challenges faced by students, educators, families, and communities during the COVID-19 crisis. They host a range of educators and engage in conversation detailing their “experiences, how they’re supporting academic and social-emotional learning, what’s keeping them up at night, and what is inspiring them to keep on working.”

Aliento Education Fund: Arts & Healing for Impacted Communities

Aliento understands the power of art and community in healing and processing trauma, especially now during the COVID-19 crisis. In tandem with many other resources and supports, Aliento has set up monthly virtual Arts + Healing workshops and open mic events, to create a space for their members to maintain community with one another despite physical distancing guidelines. Their other work in response to the COVID-19 crisis includes social emotional, financial, and technological support for their students and informational resources for their community.

Eye to Eye: Supporting Students with Learning Differences

Needs of students across the country have drastically changed over the last few months, a transition made particularly difficult for students with learning differences. Eye to Eye, however, was able to quickly adjust to distance learning, shifting their in-person art-based model to an online setting and offering “virtual art rooms,” as well as other online resources and activities. Their students also engaged in a virtual “Hill Day” along with the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), sharing their experiences, specifically with IDEA, with members of Congress.