Connecting to Students
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Holiday greetings. It’s Giving Tuesday and the start of the holiday season. This year at WriterCoach Connection, we are reflecting on what’s precious to us. The youth that we serve and our community of supporters are two of our blessings, and we are grateful for both.
All of us at WriterCoach Connection hope that you and your family are safe and healthy and that you are able to enjoy this unusual holiday season.
We wanted to update you on some key things we’ve accomplished this year. On March 10 we suspended all of our coaching programs in response to Covid-19. Since that time we have:
Developed the capacity to coach students virtually using online technology,
Conducted technology training for more than 250 coaches,
Offered training to all of our coaches in cultural competency & antiracism, trauma-informed coaching and more,
Hired five new interns as technical site coordinators, who assist staff, coaches and students in every online session,
Started coaching more than 1,200 students in select schools in the East Bay, and
Developed a new program, Writers Café, free for 7th - 12th graders from anywhere in the country, and since April, coached more than 200 students from around the Bay Area, as well as New York, North Carolina and Colorado.
We’ve discovered that we still have a powerful impact on students, even coaching virtually. These authentic relationships matter more than ever to young people who feel isolated, learning at home.
Coach Kent Wright worked in the Writers Café with a 7th grader more than 20 coaching sessions. Kent has seen him make dramatic progress in both skills and confidence. The student’s mother wrote us, “Thank you for offering this educational service to communities, free and of such high quality. We all have to help each other in these times. Thank you for what you are doing.”
If you’d like to help more students gain and achieve skills and confidence, please support us by giving today.
Yours in Service,
Maureen Dixon, Board Chair
