San Francisco, CA. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mission Education Projects Inc. (MEPI) is still trying to provide its usual academic support and enrichment activities. This nonprofit, based in the Mission district is pictured above. MEPI provides tutoring, homework help, and other educational activities to students and their families in the community. Although the organization was unable to host onsite programming after the shelter in place order began, the staff continued to communicate with students and families through methods including Facetime, phone calls, emails, and texts. MEPI also began group Zoom sessions with students focused on homework and tutoring.
Lana Alviar, the Program Director at MEPI, discribes the daily Zoom sessions as a time where, “everyone – students, parents and other family members (the toddlers from the family) along with staff get together” and can “chat, hang out, have dance battles, play games, and share our feelings and fears about COVID-19.”
The nonprofit has also adjusted its annual End of School Year celebration. This year the 2020 End of School Year celebration took place as a Zoom party. Lana describes the event: “Prior to the party students received a goody bag with party favors and snacks for the party. We acknowledged our graduates from Kindergarten, 5th grade, and 8th grade who each received a cap and tassel, a class of 2020 sash, and a 2020 graduation medal. Students, parents, guests, and staff all joined in to honor our graduates. Our celebration included presentations, songs, riddles, and goody bags and ended with everyone sharing what they were grateful for.”
Kindergarten grad books for the End of School Year Party.
For MEPI’s summer program, the students received arts and crafts kits which included everything needed to complete the projects. Lana notes how “These projects are educational, fun, and stress relieving.”
During the pandemic, Mission Education Projects Inc. is helping students and families with supplies as well. Lana reports how during one of their Zoom sessions she asked students what they needed and was “surprised by the simple request they had – they needed paper, pencils, crayons, markers – things they could use to make drawings or write stories on as well as make origami and paper airplanes.” With the help of some friends, Lana was able to gather the requested supplies and drop them off to the families. A picture of staff packing up the supplies is pictured below. “We were also able to get food boxes dropped off to the families which included fruits, vegetables, eggs, chicken, and pasta.”
MEPI staff members pack supplies for kids and their families.
Lana speaks on how despite the difficulties COVID-19 has brought, the rewards of having a smaller program are shining through. All of MEPI’s Junior staff are former students themselves. “These students have grown up together and are very familiar with each other and with the staff” (Lana Alviar). Lana mentions how one of the best parts of the day is the end of day Zoom sessions with staff and students in which they’re able to check-in, talk about what they’re working on, and just hang out. “We have always been close with our students and their parents, but the COVID-19 pandemic has strengthened those relationships and brought us even closer and made us stronger as a group.”
From Mission Education Projects Inc:
If you’d like to support to Mission Education Projects Inc. the nonprofit could always use monetary donations. The nonprofits’ monetary donations have dwindled and MEPI is especially in need due to unexpected costs related to COVID-19.
“The mission of Mission Education Projects, Inc. is to provide at-risk youth & their families an equal opportunity to access a quality cultural sensitive & holistic educational and quality of the life experience involving every aspect of the child’s world of safe and empowering environment.”
