Zakery Dabbagh’s experience working at the African Community Education Summer Reading Program 2021,
WEC Bulletin Update Summer 2021
Passionate about youth development in Worcester? Apply to become a fellow
SAVE THE DATE for wec’s 12th annual meeting: Learning Beyond Limits, Nov 1st
JOIN US: The Sum of Us - A Conversation with Heather McGhee on September 15th
A united effort to distribute 13,000+ books across Worcester
WEC’s Deputy Director, Julia Kilgore smiles as she stands next to three pallets of books from Scholastic’s Literacy Partnership program.
WEC distributed 13,000+ books towards a successful Reading Together program! This summer we collaborated with 8 partner organizations to bring high-quality books and guided activities to students enrolled in summer programs across Worcester. Many thanks to the AbbVie foundation for funding this program in support of early literacy in our city.
The COVID-19 pandemic has radically transformed how we deliver our program, but we’re proud to say that it has not stopped the critical work we started 8 years ago. To learn more about our signature Reading Together program please view our program page.
Thank you to our partners:
African Community Education (ACE)
Black Excellence Academy
Boys & Girls Club of Worcester
Latino Education Institute (L.E.I)
Our summer literacy kits provide students with books and guided activities for them to enjoy and share with their families. Each student receives 10 books. We include curated book bundles related to STEM, Health & Wellness, School Readiness, English Nonfiction, Spanish Nonfiction. WEC also added a specially selected set of books to support social-emotional development in children. View more photos of our program here.
Meet Our Team
WEC’s Executive Director, Jennifer Davis Carey holds two first-grade Health and Wellness book packs. Each My Books Summer student pack includes five titles, five think sheets, a journal, a postcard, and colored pencils. WEC’s Deputy Director, Julia Kilgore smiles as she unpacks and organizes books for first-grade students. WEC’s Communications Assistant, Heidy Coronel opens a cardboard box with a pair of scissors. To support this project, Heidy collaborates with our partner organizations to schedule volunteers and pick-up services.
Clark University student volunteers are always ready to answer the call
Team members celebrate the completion of their project, organizing books bundles for 8 youth organizations.
During the month of July, five volunteers were recruited to assist with the development of our Reading Together program. Thanks to our Communications Assistant, Heidy Coronel, this team worked together to effectively organize books for thousands of students.
WEC is proud of our positive work culture environment that supports young people. College students are highly encouraged to apply view our employment opportunities.
Woo-Labs project seeks to strengthen city's educational opportunities outside schools
Worcester College Corps Fellowship Opportunity
Update on 6/29/21: Application Closed
Are you planning to pursue a career in youth development or teaching and looking for an exciting, hands-on summer experience working directly with youth to support learning and enrichment?
WEC seeks current college students to serve as part-time Worcester College Corps Fellows in its Woo-Labs partner youth-serving organizations. Woo-Labs is a network of community-based partners committed to advancing educational and racial equity and closing opportunity and achievement gaps by improving their capacity to provide high-quality, culturally responsive, project-based learning opportunities for youth. Fellows will work in-person directly at partner sites to execute these strategies, with a focus on building capacity for project-based learning opportunities and measurement framework data collection. Fellows will receive considerable support from both WEC and the partner site, including comprehensive pre-service training and regular professional development on youth development topics such as project-based learning, social emotional learning, trauma-sensitive practices, and state content standards alignment. Each Fellow will serve approximately 20 hours a week for 10 weeks for a total of 200 hours.
This position is ideal for those passionate about positive youth development and interested in expanding their ability to facilitate meaningful, authentic learning experiences for young people under the mentorship of experienced out-of-school-time programming professionals.
Learn more about the job description, duties, compensation, and how to apply HERE.
Candidates should email their cover letter and résumé to WEC’s Assistant Director, Emily Dodge (edodge@wecollaborative.org).
