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Our Mission: To establish the foundation for lifelong learning by teaching the 4-Cs of Education, Critical thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity through reading, writing, and understanding poetry.

At We Theresa Kids, our vision is to transform the lives of youth in underserved areas through the power of poetry. We aspire to create a future where every child, regardless of background, is empowered to express themselves creatively and positively. By fostering a lifelong love for literature, we envision a community where young minds are inspired to think critically, embrace their unique voices, and contribute meaningfully to society. Through our program, we aim to build a supportive and inclusive environment, embodying the belief that "it takes a tribe" to raise and nurture every child, one stanza at a time.

“If you teach that nigger (speaking of myself) how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave."  Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave - 1849

Education in the United States has faced significant challenges, this has been the case, especially for students in certain demographics and inner-city areas. Students from low-income families and minority backgrounds often face more obstacles in their education. Many if these students attend schools with fewer resources, impacting the quality of education they receive.

Bridging the Gap and Inspiring a Love of Literature

"Not only do funding systems allocate fewer resources to poor urban districts than to their suburban neighbors, but studies consistently show that, within these districts, schools with high concentrations of low-income and “minority” students receive fewer instructional resources than others in the same district."

Cities like San Francisco and Berkeley offer programs such as ours to their communities, offering community engagement, and self-expression among youth with Poetry slams, promoting young people to express themselves creatively. Our focus is on the forgotten and underserved communities that Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University's School of Education writes about in an article published by the National Library of Medicine*. As Darling-Hammond states, "Few Americans realize that the U.S. Educational System is one of the most unequal in the industrialized world". She demonstrates that schools in lower-income areas receive less funding, resulting in lower-quality books, curriculum materials, laboratories, and computers.

 

At We Theresa's Kids, we strive to bridge this gap and inspire a love of literature in these inner-city neighborhoods. 

*Inequality in Teaching and Schooling: How Opportunity Is Rationed to Students of Color in America. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK223640/

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