R.E.A.C.H. (Read, Empower, Attain, Create, Hope) aims to invest in at-promise young people, providing educational support to young people who have experienced marginalization and exclusion from traditional schools. Some may have experienced homelessness, been suspended or expelled, or spent time in foster care and the juvenile justice system. REACH volunteers build mentoring relationships, conduct writing workshops, and lead discussions that build emotional literacy, critical thinking, and writing skills. Most importantly, we aim to show at-promise youth that society has not forgotten them and that they can find paths to successful adulthood.
REACH volunteers learn as much as they teach since young people in county schools and on probation know best what changes must take place in schools, neighborhoods, and the courts so that all children can reach for the promise of a free and hopeful adulthood.
We create mentoring relationships that support social and emotional learning and growth. Tutors are available to work with students one-on-one or in small groups during the school day or after school. Workshop facilitators conduct creative writing and art workshops on Fridays and after school in county schools, juvenile hall, and community-based organizations. Beat Within workshops enable young people to express themselves and find their own voice. We publish student writing in The Beat Within, a nationally distributed magazine written by and for young people
impacted by the justice system.
R.E.A.C.H. and Beat Within workshops are funded by the Will J. Reid Foundation, which supports the school-year program and three paid summer internships each summer.