The following is an extended version of a story from the Private Schools Guide in our August 2018 issue.
UP RVA founder Toby Desch and 2018 Trinity graduate Lance Johnson (Photo courtesy UP RVA)
Two-and-a-half years ago, I had never visited Richmond’s East End — me, a lifelong Richmonder.
That all changed, and dramatically, when I began volunteering at Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School and saw the after-school work that UP RVA, a nonprofit group, was providing to eighth-grade graduates who moved on to private high schools in the region.
Little did I know then, in fact, how much the experience would change me.
When I first began volunteering as a classroom assistant and substitute teacher in January 2016, I had been struck by the lack of resources students had in this part of the city.
I was struck by something else as well — the unmistakable sense of community. There was genuine connection among the staff at the school, the students and the neighbors, a sense that everyone — young and old, professional and working class — was looking out for everyone else.
This inspired me, and made me want to go beyond just serving in the classroom. And the executive director at UP RVA, Toby Desch, inspired me, too. Desch is one of those people you see every so often in life who change the air around them by seeing and doing what others don’t. In UP RVA, he had created a nonprofit organization that was not just providing transportation, tutoring and counseling to high school students from the East End who were attending independent schools — it was actually altering lives and destinies. I had seen it firsthand, and been altered by it myself.
When the opportunity came along, last year, to become UP RVA’s after-school director, I didn’t have to think for even a second before saying yes. Recently, I moved up again to become the organization’s operations manager. I am in awe, every day, at the enormous responsibility entrusted in me in this position. But also grateful — deeply grateful.
On paper, the mission of UP RVA reads pretty plainly. The three main services we provide to our students and their families are transportation to and from school events, our after school program, and advocacy.
But, as I have learned, our work goes far beyond a mission statement on paper.
One of our biggest goals is to help our students feel a real sense of community at the independent school they attend. That means that we encourage them to participate in whatever fires their passion — be it sports, clubs, dances, robotics competitions, or community service events.
It is not the particular activity that matters so much; what matters is that the students have an activity at all, something to turn to in times of stress or duress, something to pour themselves into. It is one of the many ways we want them to learn that they are connected to the world, and that there are many different ways they can grow and contribute.
Which is also why we put so much emphasis on our after-school program. We are trying to fill a void in some communities where families have been fractured and social bonds have been frayed by poverty, crime and a lack of opportunity; the kind of structure that young people need to navigate the many challenges they face is simply not there.
Whether it’s talking about upcoming assignments with our After School Director, Tyler Gooden, working with tutors and volunteers for assistance in difficult subjects, or just having a workspace that promotes productivity, we see our program as a kind of home base for our kids, a place where they can get the support (academic, or social, or emotional) they need.
At UP RVA, we often use the word “advocacy” to describe what we do. Advocacy in our world means doing all the little things to make sure our students, families and partnering schools receive the support they need. A big part of this is fostering communication between families and schools, ensuring that the schools understand and are aware of the environment a lot of our kids live in and come from. We assist our families in whatever ways we can in order to sustain and promote our students’ success.
Even for a teenager in a comfortable neighborhood, high school can be a trying time — a time of working out who you are and would like to become, while balancing the pressure of school work and extracurricular activities. It is often an especially hard period for our students, since they sometimes are forced to confront circumstances and situations that are vastly different from those of their classmates.
It is easy to think that we only need determination and a work ethic in order to succeed. If there is one thing I have learned in my relatively brief, eye-opening time at UP RVA, it is just how much it takes for a person to make it in this world. Individual will is vital, and it cannot be emphasized enough that we are all endowed with various skills and talents. But I have seen just how dependent one child is — how dependent we all are — on a network of supportive, caring, helping folks.
It’s funny. I first volunteered because I wanted to help others to learn. Now, cliché as it sounds, I find myself wondering sometimes who has learned more — the kids I work with, or me. I have grown and developed alongside the program. I am not who I was. And for that I am grateful.
