Join us in support of HAcK'23

4/18/2023

Join us in support of the Summer HAcK’23!

Oakland Serves continues to support OUSD’s Central Academic Recovery (CAR) Team in their mission to get students back on track to graduation. We are excited to participate in their second annual Summer Health and Academics for Kids program (the “Summer HAcK”) being held at Castlemont High School..

(images from HAcK’22 provided by OUSD CAR team)

The 5-week program for 10th (rising 11th) graders pairs academic recovery classes in multiple subjects with wellness, awareness and creative projects tailored to the classes and team building. The academic program runs mornings, 4 days a week from June 5 to July 6.

Our mentors will be working in the classrooms to help ensure as many students as possible get the attention they need to succeed. In addition, they’ll be enjoying the project-based learning activities sponsored by several community organizations such as the Center for Art Esteem culminating in student presentations at The Crucible on July 5.

Many of our current mentors have already signed up to participate but this intensive program needs more mentors than we can currently provide. Oakland Serves is recruiting mentors that can give at least a few hours of their time each week during the program to help in the classes, experience the project-based activities, and just enjoy the dynamism of these students.

To volunteer for the Summer HAcK, just go to our website.

Spring semester isn’t over yet but fall is already on the radar

We are now mentoring students and classes in three schools and including academic recovery classes run by the CAR team, as well as virtual classes that pull in students from several schools. This year we’ve helped students in English, History, Government, Ethnic Studies, Algebra, Geometry, and Physics to understand material, think independently, complete assignments and create presentations. Those students will be one step closer to graduation. Besides the academics, we’ve shown these students that adults care and respect them in this challenging time of their lives and frankly we’ve had fun doing it.

Unfortunately this year we have also had to turn away inquiries from two schools that asked for our help due to lack of enough mentors and resources. Next year we want to meet their students’ needs as well. If you can’t volunteer this summer, school starts again in August. We’ll start our fall recruitment in mid-summer, and we hope you can participate.

And if you can’t volunteer but believe in the importance of high school graduation to the future of these students, don’t wait until December to donate. Our wonderful mentors are all volunteers yet our staff must recruit and train them and work with individual schools and OUSD to make sure we are reaching the students who need it. Please donate now to help us prepare for an even stronger 2023-24 school year!

Donate Today !