Inspiring Youth in California - Fall 2019

Inspiring Youth in California - Fall 2019

WE SCHOOLS IMPACT REPORT Inspiring Youth in California

Fall, 2019

Dear Friends,

WE exists to make doing good, doable and we’re grateful for your decision to be a part of the WE movement.

From our humble beginnings as a group of twelve 12-year-olds wanting nothing more than to make a difference in the world, we’re truly grateful for and inspired by each of our supporters who share that passion. Today, we proudly support millions of people, including youth, families, individuals, corporations and other groups on their unique journeys to make a lasting impact through service - we’re thrilled to work with you on yours. Your generous support towards our WE Schools programming in California has empowered positive change that will continue to transform lives for years to come. For that, we can’t thank you enough, and we hope you’ll enjoy reading about the impact your contribution is making.

Together we can do more than we could ever do alone. With your help, we are changing the world.

Thank you,

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Thank You

San Ysidro High School

Through your generous support, we are empowering young people in California with the tools and resources to take action and make the world a brighter place.

We are pleased to sharewith you the incredible impact of ourWE Schools programming in California over the 2018-2019 school year, delivering world-class resources for students and educators and creating transformational experiences for youth. Without your support, none of this would be possible. Thank you.

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WE Schools

WE Schools is a year-long educational program that empowers young people to be leaders of social change, challenging them to act with intention and compassion and lead with the conviction that together we can transform communities locally and globally.

WE Schools is implemented in classrooms and after-school clubs. It is a movement of youth and educators who believe that some of the most powerful learning experiences happen when you make a meaningful difference in your communities and for the world.

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In the United States

Thanks to your support, we have scaled the reach of WE Schools across the United States to support diverse youth populations in becoming leaders, change-makers and problem solvers. In the 2018-2019 school year, over 2 million students from more than 6,900 school groups participated in or were impacted by WE Schools—a 18% increase in the number of schools engaged since 2017-2018, and a 65% increase since 2016-2017. In the United States during the 2018-2019 academic year,WESchools created a total social impact value of over $177 million in support of local and global issues. These impacts were created from fundraising initiatives, youth volunteerism and local food collection. As part of our cause-inclusive programs, WE Schools groups supported over 480 local organizations and 2,100 global organizations, totaling over 2,580 unique organizations.

Our WE Schools team has been able to improve engagement with schools and has developed a host of new opportunities, creating positive outcomes for American youth around academic engagement, workplace and college readiness and active citizenship. Of the participating WE Schools educators in the 2018-2019 school year: 85% agreed that their students demonstrate increased leadership among their peers. 84% agreed that their students are more capable of effectively voicing their own opinions. 84% agreed that their students feel a greater connection to their local community. 84% agreed that their students have developed stronger communication skills. 82% agreed that their students are more able to work effectively and respectfully in diverse teams.

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WE Schools

Jackson Park Elementary School

In the 2018-2019 school year, WE Schools groups in California created a total social impact value of over $44 million in support of local and global issues.

This impact was generated from three major streams: fundraising initiatives, value of youth volunteerism and value of local food collection.

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In California

In California during the 2018-2019 school year, there were 1,440 WE Schools groups , involving more than 440,400 youth and over 4,300 educators . The most frequent local issue tackled by WE Schools groups in California was hunger and the most frequent global cause supportedwas ensuring access tocleanwater . To take action on these issues, the most common initiatives led by students were food drives, coin drives, class presentations to educate and inform their peers and volunteering within their communities. As part of our cause-inclusive programs, youth supported both local and global organizations through their actions. 86% ofWE School groups volunteered and more than 1.7 M volunteer hours were registered.

88% of students feel more capable of effectively voicing their own opinions

88% of students reported that they demonstrate better leadership among their peers 88% of students reported they developed stronger communication skills

87% of students reported feel a greater connection to their local community

“I enjoy working on WE projects much more than teaching the required curriculum. The kids connect more with real world experiences, and that’s what WEprovides. So, I enjoyteachingmorewhichmakes them enjoy learning more. Thank you!”

- Educator, California

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The gift of time

Los Angeles teacher Ed Gray learns an important lesson about giving back.

As his students fan out across the warm sand of the Santa Monica Beach, filling buckets and bags with discarded Styrofoam, plastic and other trash, Los Angeles teacher, Ed Gray, looks on proudly. The enthusiasm and excitement he sees in the young people volunteering to take time out of their weekend to clean up the neighborhood and give back to the community serves as a testament to his philosophy of service: that the best thing you can give is your time. Originally from Massachusetts, Ed spent years bringing service into his classroom, seeing it help transform students into leaders and advocates. Three years ago, when he picked up and moved his family to California to teach Grade 6, 7 and 8 students in West Los Angeles,

he wasn’t sure how his passion for community projects would be received.

During his first project—a community cleanup in the shadow of Interstate 10 in West Los Angeles—a student stopped Ed in his tracks by asking, “Why are we doing this? This is what my maid is for.” Ed changed tactics. Instead of dictating what service projects his students did, he asked them to take the lead. When he reached out toWE and started aWE club—now numbering nearly 50 students in the school of 350—things took off. The Allstate Foundation has teamed up with WE to empower youth through service learning programs across the country. So, “before you knew it, we had speakers coming, resources at

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our fingertips, and when we went to WE Day that took everything to a whole new level,” he says. With the freedom to choose their own projects, the right motivation and tools and resources from WE Volunteer Now, students have followed their passions and given more of their time to those in need. This led them to Skid Row to help people living on the streets, and to the beach to clean up the community and protect the environment. Whatever the project, above all else they’ve focused on giving their time. It’s a guiding principle that Monique Coleman, actress and Allstate FoundationGood Starts Young Ambassador, lives by. When she heard what the WE club members at The City School had done—providing food to those who are hungry in their community and fighting plastic waste—she was eager to help. She

joined them as part of an Allstate Foundation- sponsoredWE Volunteer Now speaking tour to offer some guidance from her years of service and pitch in for their Santa Monica beach clean-up. “It’s important to know from a young age that your service matters,” Monique says. Through WE Volunteer Now, the spark has been lit and the philosophy of service has taken on a momentum of its own for The City School students. “How do you make an impact?” he muses thoughtfully. “For each other, for the school, community and the globe, we can only give our time.”

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Stories of Inspiration

Brighton Hall School As part of the WE Well-being initiative, students at Brighton Hall School in Burbank have created a Zen Zone in their school to provide a space for students experiencing anxiety and stress. The private space is sectioned off with curtains and includes comfortable seating, stress balls and headphones for students to listen to the relaxing Zen Zone playlist. As part of the project, students filmed a step-by-step video outlining how to create a Zen Zone. With this new space, students will have a caring environment to support their well-being during the school day.

Click here to watch Brighton Hall’s Zen Zone video!

San Ysidro High School In March the WE Club at San Ysidro High School organized a 5K run and coin drive to fundraise for the WE Walk for Water campaign. The coin drive to raise money for communities in Ecuador to gain access to clean water. “The fundraiser went great! The cross-country team supported us big time and a lot of students came out to donate and participate,” shares Sandra, an educator at San Ysidro High School. “Between the donations and the change drive we did at the same time, we’ve raised about $1,000!”

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WE Day California

WE Day is a powerful, life-changing experience with world-renowned speakers and performers, mixed with real, inspirational stories of change. Students can’t buy a ticket toWE Day; they earn their way by taking local and global actions through theWE Schools program. On April 25th, 2019, WEDay California brought together 16,000 students from over 475 schools across California, to celebrate and honor their commitment to service and creating positive change throughout the year. The full-day event featured renowned speakers, innovative thought leaders and remarkable youth who are making a positive impact. Some of this years inspiring guests included Neil Patrick Harris, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Mahershala Ali, Chance The Rapper, Selena Gomez, Joe Jonas, Bill Nye, Natalie Portman and more. Local youth speakers also took the stage to share words of inspiration about important topics that have impacted young people across California including homelessness and poverty, food security and LGBTQ+ rights.

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Scaling Our Impact

AP® with WE Service

WE has partnered with the College Board to develop enhanced Advanced Placement® Program (AP®) courses that integrate 30 hours of service-learning into the core content of each course. Our exclusive partnership combines the academic challenge and rigor of AP with WE Schools’ service learning and citizenship model. In the 2018-2019 school year, 110 schools across California participated in AP with WE Service. AP with WE Service creates an opportunity for students to work closely with their peers to address complex social issues, and apply content and skills from their AP courses to local and global causes through innovation, creativity and critical thinking.

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WE Well-being

WE Well-being is equipping people of all ages with the tools they need to foster social, emotional, physical and mental well-being.

When asked about their first year in WE Well-being...

We have successfully completed stage one of the WE Well-being pilot. The pilot was developed in collaboration with leading experts and world-renowned organizations to bring the cutting-edge science of well- being into classrooms across Canada and the United States. The WE Well-being pilot involved over 250 educators and impacted more than 7,000 students. The inaugural program was developed for students in grades 4-6. Modules focused on unpacking social and emotional learning, mental health literacy and the brain science behind mental health research. Educators identified increased empathy, self-awareness, leadership and improved self-image and confidence as the top areas of growth for their students participating in the pilot. One key takeaway was that 88% of educators requested access to resources online, which has allowed us to leverage technology to scale professional learning.

88% of educators said their participation has benefited them professionally. 85% of educators said their experience was positive or very positive. 80% of educators said they personally used the things they learned through the program to support their own well-being.

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Together We Can Change the World

Thank you for your support of WE Schools in California! Together, we are inspiring local youth to take action on issues they are passionate about andempowering themtomake a difference inour communities.

WE Global Learning Centre 339 Queen Street East Toronto, ON M5A 1S9