TECHforALL - weSTEM x TechAction

The COVID-19 pandemic has unveiled the weakest pieces of America’s social fabric, particularly our education system. In these times, chronic absenteeism in schools runs rampant more than ever due to the lack of adequate tech resources necessary for students to participate in online learning. In NYC, the Department of Education was slow to fulfill its promise to provide computers to under-resourced students, forcing many students to learn through paper packets once shipped to their homes or others even missed out on assignments and class. This inequity disproportionately impacted low-income minority students as they fell behind the rest of their peers. According to the Council of Great City Schools in New York, potential implications of an inadequate and unfinished education may cause some students to miss out on critical learning or even force others to potentially repeat a grade. While we hope students return to the physical classroom by the fall, uncertainties of the coronavirus force us to imagine the worst possible prospect — the continuation of online learning met with inadequate resources. As recently reported by Axios, many school districts are collecting the laptops, Chromebooks, iPads, and WiFi hotspots they distributed to students in March when virtual learning replaced in-person classes. Per journalist Mike Allen:


Without access to school-issued technology during the summer, low-income and minority students who are less likely to have reliable access to technology tools at home are at higher risk of experiencing a greater “summer slide.” “For schools who issued devices to fill the gaps, by taking it away, they’re recreating those gaps,” said Jeff Mao, CEO of Edmoxie, a consulting firm for schools and ed tech companies. 


 weSTEM and TechAction are committed to doing our part in closing these gaps through TECHforALL, a joint initiative explained in detail below. 


weSTEM is partnering with TechAction to raise funds to purchase and distribute refurbished laptops to students in need of these resources that attend Ascend Public Charter Schools in Brooklyn. Founded in 2019, weSTEM is an impact-driven startup that connects young women across the United States to STEM opportunities through accessible high-tech. TechAction is an organization that aims to close accessibility gaps in tech and increase tech-literacy needed for success in and outside of the classroom, amongst students across the United States. Savonnah Rowe, Co-Founder of TechAction and teacher at Ascend Public Charter Schools, has already identified 55 under-resourced students at Ascend that are in need of basic technology after her school collected loaned technology at the end of the school year. We believe no child should be left behind, and our first fundraising drive is to provide 55 under-resourced students with the laptops needed to avoid falling behind this summer and participate in online learning during the school year.


How you can help: On average, a refurbished laptop is $150-200. ALL donated funds will DIRECTLY go towards purchasing and distributing the refurbished laptops. Each donation will CHANGE A STUDENT'S LIFE. Once a parent, student, or teacher contacts us and fills out a form for verification, we will arrange for computer delivery/pickup for the student in need and provide them with materials on basic tech literacy. A listing of laptops distributed by grade level and school will be posted.


If you are in need of help: If you are in need of a laptop to finish up the school year, for summer instruction/programs, or in case we have periods of online next school year, please contact us (find the button below) saying so. Right now we are focusing on providing resources to the initial 55 students identified from Ascend Public Charter Schools in Brooklyn, but we hope to expand. So, if you are a teacher who knows of students in need, please still reach out, and we will follow up as soon as possible.

Learn more about the orgs!
weSTEM: https://westem.info/
TechAction: https://www.techactioninitiative.org/