Partners
Through experimentation and supported trial and error, students learn and grow. Introducing children to concepts allows them to create a physical artifact that will reinforce the new information. Our curriculum is designed to teach children computer science concepts that apply to all programming languages.
The Multicultural Summer Work Experience initiative is a partnership between the Mayor’s Youth Academy and Richmond Region League of United American Citizens Council to expose Richmond’s Latino youth to entrepreneurship, teamwork, and post-secondary career exploration. Our shared goal is to develop Richmond's future workforce into determined, successful citizens who will one day become our city's leaders. One of the projected outcomes of this six-week summer program is for the team of leaders-in-training to have acquired a foundation of inter-personal- critical thinking – and problem-solving skills for personal and professional development. The goal is for these new leadership skills to motivate the students to focus on academic achievement for successful college and career opportunities. The Richmond Region LULAC council will host and hire RPS students as leaders-in-training for its pilot Latino Family Summer Exploration program. The Council offers a unique component specifically designed for parents to encourage family engagement throughout their student’s academic career.
Richmond Ambulance Authority – Latino Youth Academy work together to select and educate 10 or moreHispanic youth through their participation in the highly successful program. Involvement in this educational and experiential initiative by low-income Latino families will not only be an important enrichment experience for youth who participate but it will also result in lives saved in the Latino community in the future as the community becomes better prepared to deal with emergency situations.
Southside Community Center is the host site for Pa'lante Family Technology Center.
Pa'lante Family Technology Center is a host site for AARP Foundation Senior Community Employment Program.
A VCU School of Education team in the iCubed Urban Education and Family Transdisciplinary Core has been awarded a COVID-19 rapid research grant by the university aimed at meeting the educational needs of Spanish speaking, K-12 English language learners and their families in the midst of the pandemic.
The study – titled “Mitigating K-12 English Language Learners Academic and English Language Regression during COVID-19: A Rapid Response Examination of a School-Community Partnership” – will draw from an existing research project with iCubed partner, the Richmond Region League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). Ms. Vilma Seymour, Richmond Region LULAC president, is a co-principal investigator in the study.
The study will examine the challenges and barriers of providing grassroots, community-based mentoring, and educational services to one of Richmond’s most vulnerable populations: Spanish speaking, K-12 English language learners and their families. Gomez said that English language learners make up 14 percent of Richmond Public Schools students. According to a 2018 study, 60 percent of Latinx students dropped out or faced barriers to graduating in RPS, compared to 15 percent of Black students and 11 percent of White students.
