In the wake of the ongoing protests that have swept the nation, people of all backgrounds are standing in solidarity to fight for racial justice. Students, in particular, are anxious, but also eager to mobilize and bring about meaningful change, but the question is “How?”

In response, CONNECTdmv has created two events that will culminate in high schoolers creating their own passion projects, guided by both college activists and an adult mentor from our Career Network mentoring program.

Student Activism for Racial Justice

The first interactive, virtual event will be on July 9th, 7-9pm, called Student Activism for Racial Justice. That night we will help harness the energy and ideas of our young people to combat systemic racism. It will feature students speaking with students, guided by three experienced facilitators, plus feature our 24-year old keynote speaker who is one of the most accomplished social entrepreneurs in the DMV, Maria Rose Belding. Register here.

Projects for Change

After the July 9th event we will launch the passion projects by our high schoolers. These will take place from July through early September, and culminate in a pitch by the student teams to a panel of activists and social entrepreneurs, who will give them a grant to carry out their project. Throughout the eight-week project, students will be guided by our mentors on their concept, budget, funding and staffing needs. We call this second program “Projects for Change.” Registration will occur at the July 9th event.