THE WHOLE COMMUNITY
ENGAGED COMMUNITIES CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE-MAKER IN A CHILD'S LIFE
CDF Freedom Schools creates space for scholars, parents, educators, and the wider community to come together and engage in meaningful action that allows the communities and their families to grow academically and socially.  With hope, education, and action, communities can learn from one another and provide resources and support to address community needs.  The power of caring adults and engaged communities can be the difference-maker in a child’s life.  At Winston-Salem Freedom Schools, we believe in a model which incorporates the whole community as responsible partners in addressing the crisis of inequities in education and opportunities, and in rallying around the families of the children caught in this injustice and struggle.  We need to ALL pull together to arrive at change within our students, within our systems, within our communities, and within ourselves.  Our children and families deserve nothing less than an engaged community here in Winston-Salem.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Discover 5 ways you can be part of the Freedom School community and Make a Difference in the lives of our scholars!
READY, SET, INVEST
An investment in CDF Freedom Schools is met with the returns of gains in school and in society by scholars who possess limitless potential.
Do you like to see a return on investment?  Do you want to find value in your contributions?  There may be no better return and value than what takes place at Winston-Salem Freedom Schools with your financial support! The cost of Winston-Salem Freedom Schools is $250 per week for each scholar.  For $250 these scholars are: attending a proven program from 8am-3pm every day; eating two nutritious meals and getting a healthy snack; being introduced to leaders from their community during Harambee; spending three hours every day with a culturally-relevant reading curriculum; participating in well-planned afternoon activities or setting off on an amazing field trip; and being sent home with brand new, developmentally and culturally appropriate books.  I haven’t even mentioned the experiences of the National Day of Social Action, Jubilee, and Finale!  All of that for $250 per week, so that the entire six-week Freedom School program costs $1500 per scholar.  There is no program in our city which provides as much impact for the price.  And there are few programs who have the track record of this movement in making a difference in the lives of students and their families.  Each summer, scholars are preventing summer learning loss, closing the learning gap, and discovering the joy of a pedagogy which centers their stories and experiences.  An investment in CDF Freedom Schools is met with the returns of gains in school and in society by scholars who possess limitless potential.  We are committed every summer to providing CDF Freedom Schools programming at no cost to the scholars and their families.  Your financial support lays the foundation for this work to take place.  Again, there is hardly a better investment or value for those who love children and youth and want to make the space for them to Make a Difference!
MATERIAL NEEDS
There is no program in our city which provides as much impact for the cost.
CLASSROOM SUPPLIES
Each IRC classroom has a list of materials needed for successful execution of the curriculum and program. Most sites have to purchase each item at the beginning of the summer, which can reduce their budget for other activities. You can make a tremendous impact by donating items needed by all of our sites, or asking what items a specific site still needs.
VOLUNTEERING
With hope, education, and action, communities can learn from one another and provide resources and support to address community needs.
HEALTHY START MEALS
Each site is committed to providing a healthy Breakfast and Lunch for every scholar, every day. Meal preparation and serving is also a way you can help at some of our sites. Each site is a bit different in terms of meal needs. Contact us to find out how your group can help make Breakfast and Lunch a successful part of the Freedom School day.
ACTIVITY LEADERS & ASSISTANTS
Afternoon Activities are often a time when volunteer support is most needed at our sites. Volunteers can help assist by leading an activity in which they have skills or experiences. This can include arts and crafts, STEAM activities, nature or ecological activities, and more. You can also volunteer by assisting another staff member with their activity.
FAMILY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS
Every week during Freedom School, parents are invited to meet and discuss how to support and empower each other and their children. These meetings happen at different times based on the family needs at the various sites. Many of our sites would benefit from meals, set-up help, and professional presentations on services of interest to our families.
D.E.A.R. READERS
Do you want to help encourage scholars to read? From 11:45am-noon, all scholars and staff at a CDF Freedom School site stop what they are doing for a time of reading individually or together. This is called Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) time, and volunteers who want to bring their enthusiasm for reading can join an IRC class at this time
READ ALOUD GUESTS
At every Harambee, scholars welcome someone from the community who reads a book of importance to them. These are our Read Aloud Guests. Read Aloud Guests show the scholars that the community supports their reading development, celebrates their uncapped potential to Make a Difference, and that people from their community also find joy in reading books.
PARTNERSHIPS
CDF Freedom Schools creates space for scholars, parents, educators, and the wider community to come together and engage in meaningful action that allows the communities and their families to grow academically and socially.
A partnership between your community – your church, neighborhood or civic group, or corporation – and a local Winston-Salem Freedom Schools site allows you to make a tangible difference for scholars, and allows Freedom Schools to make a difference in our shared community. Your community. Here is what a partnership would look like:
Your group can raise funds and collect specific supplies needed by a Winston-Salem Freedom Schools site. You can be a part of the morning Harambee – singing, participating in cheers and chants – and serving as a Read Aloud Guest. You can rotate your members in as DEAR readers before lunch, and even stick around to serve lunch and meet the scholars. You can provide material or volunteer assistance for activities, and possibly assist with transportation needs for field trips (if your group owns a passenger van or bus, and can provide insured drivers). You can assist the Servant Leader Interns with preparation for major events such as the National Day of Social Action and Finale! In fact, you would be welcome guests at Finale! The closing celebration and recognition of the scholars’ accomplishments. Most of all, your group would become better integrated into the impactful work and powerful legacy of Freedom Schools as it is happening in your community.