Since the start of the pandemic, education has become one of the foremost challenges for educators and students alike. Over 25 Northern California Student Corps volunteers made their mark by working with the Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) once each in April and June 2022. RAFT prides itself on being a resource hub for STEAM educators, featuring affordable recycled supplies, project ideas and workshops for educators, and countless project kits that promote hands-on learning.
On April 16th, 2022, eight students and parents gathered in a limited-capacity environment to sort and assemble over 1400 STEAM education kits. The kits constituted RAFT’s first-ever project set outside of the San Francisco Bay Area, as they were due to be sent to Washington D.C. Students and parents alike left RAFT feeling a sense of achievement after playing a key role in the milestone.
Two months later, on June 25, twenty students again gathered at RAFT to sort and pack various just-delivered supplies. Three hours of hard work allowed the packed supplies to become integral components of over 100,000 kits to be sold and distributed throughout communities.
Both events addressed the needs of numerous schools and communities and brought attention to an oft-overlooked issue, but perhaps just as importantly, both events proved to be great opportunities for forming relationships between and among students and parents.
By Steven Wang
Student Corps 