Students Thrive in Think Together Summer Learning Programs

In our Southeast Los Angeles (SELA) region, Think Together ran Think Summer in Bellflower and Lynwood School Districts, and with our Ingenium Charter Schools partner. “Summer was rewarding despite the challenges in our world, we were able to give students a little bit of normalcy,” says Lugo Elementary Site Coordinator Brishea Crichlow.

Over a year of hard work got us to a fantastic Think Summer program filled with fun, learning recovery, and social interaction with classmates that many have only seen through computer screens.

“Think Together makes me happy because they are always there for us and help us.” says one of our Think Summer students.

Beyond academics, a large component was focused on social emotional recovery and fun activities like carnivals, movie days, and more.

Students had a lot to say about these last few weeks:

“My favorite part was the water balloon day!”

“Think Together is fun because it feels like a family.”

“Because of Think Together, I get to make new friends and talk to people I haven’t met before.”

At Rosa Parks Elementary in Lynwood, students learned about the universe around them to become superheroes in their community. These heroes in training learned about the galaxy, the moon, and how to sustain our planet as the “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

As Think Summer in SELA wrapped up, each site made a short film showcasing all they did for summer. Through this process, students became cinematographers, producers, directors and actors while learning about film production, writing, acting, research, professionalism, business, budgeting, and photography.

We put together our favorite clips for you as a small peek into Think Summer.

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Back in March 2020, educators knew that this was about to be one of the most challenging school years on record. The barriers became larger, resources became more challenging to obtain, and vital support systems had to adjust to the new normal.

For anyone who knows Think Together, you know that we will do everything in our power to ensure students are safe, learning, and have the tools they need to succeed. Over the last 18 months, Think Together pivoted to offer distance learning programs, in-person learning hubs, and even returned to in-person programs at a large portion of our schools by last fall.

None of this would have been possible without our supporters, through creative collaboration with school partners, and our staff that are so passionate about our mission to change the odds for kids.

Pandemic learning loss is going to have a ripple effect for years to come. As Think Together begins supporting our school partners with back-to-school season, we need your support as well.

If you want to support our mission and help give students access to more resources to help curb learning loss, consider donating at thinktogether.org/afterschool