Read Write Discover’s work is firmly rooted in equity and youth leadership.

At our core, we are focused on increasing educational accessibility to address disparities in systemic privilege. Education is a gateway to future success, and access to impactful educational opportunities and resources can determine the potential of a student to fulfill their personal and professional goals. 

 

People of color have historically had less access to supplemental learning resources due to intersectional barriers within education, such as the cost of tutoring and distance to worthwhile opportunities. These barriers disproportionately affect young Black and Brown people.

 

Read Write Discover strives to break down those barriers by empowering young leaders to become role models who create guided learning and meaningful relationships for K-8th graders in their own communities.

 

Representation matters for communities of color. Being able to see someone who looks like you achieve great things is important for every individual. We acknowledge that in order to make a change we must hold diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at the forefront of our operational goals and initiatives.

 

We plan to increase representation and incorporate the following initiatives in our short- and long-term plans:

 

• Evaluate our internal processes and identify underlying biases within our organization in order to have open and transparent discussions about DEI at the highest levels of the organization

• Provide book lists and recommend books where the main characters and/or authors are people from diverse backgrounds and play non-stereotypical roles 

• Strategic partnerships to support the communities and students we serve

• Curate professional development resources for RWD leaders that ensure all members of the RWD community feel a sense of inclusion and belonging

• Develop workshops for tutors related to professional development opportunities, college readiness, and role modeling

• Translate materials to the various languages in our communities to better support parents and guardians

• Highlight community members of color in our social media, website, and other marketing platforms

• Engage in discussion with leaders in the DEI field, and share solutions with our community partners

 

We know this is just the beginning of the conversation, and there is still a long road ahead. However, we are dedicated to building an inclusive organization and ensuring that our work remains rooted in the needs of our partner communities.