Ten projects that will enhance students’ education and career readiness in Southwestern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia are receiving funding through Remake Learning’s Moonshot Grants.
Since launching in 2021, the organization has awarded $2.7 million in Moonshot Grants to more than 40 education projects.
“This is an opportunity for schools and programs that have bold ideas to change the status quo,” says Stephanie Lewis, director of relationships at Remake Learning. “[The grant provides] those rare opportunities to think outside of the box, and then actually have the financial and human resources and connections to move forward in an innovative way to transform learning.”
Moonshot Grant applicants may request up to $70,000 and must demonstrate what learning might look like in 10 to 20 years.
“The funding rounds have become more and more competitive because we’re seeing more bold and courageous ideas taking flight,” Lewis says.
Priorities in the grant are bold, experimental concepts; collaboration; and equity and justice.
“Proposals need to explicitly focus on learners of color, learners in poverty, rural areas, as well as girls in STEM and learners with disabilities,” she adds.
Projects have included training teen educators for science, technology, engineering and math education, making West Virginia a destination for new teachers, and building bridges between theater arts and high-tech careers.
Neighborhood Learning Alliance, which works to improve education and opportunities for lower-income families in Allegheny County through supplementary learning and higher education support, was one of the Moonshot grantees. “We were looking at opportunities in our K-5 after school and summer camps to see how we could challenge some of the racial and gender disparities that we see here in the Pittsburgh area,” says Kashif Henderson, executive director of the Alliance.
“Every student might not want to be in a career, but every student has a dream of doing something.”
Neighborhood Learning Alliance’s bold idea is to enhance its K-5 Little Warriors program through a project called Engaging Tomorrow’s Future Career Leaders and Workforce.
The Alliance modeled the project after career pathways it already does with high school students funded through a United Way Impact Grant and the Grable Foundation.
“It started out with Cajon Valley Schools in California and has shifted over to some school districts in our suburbs, like Duquesne City School District, South Fayette and Avonworth,” he adds.
In line with UN Sustainable Development Goals and inspired by Pittsburgh’s new federal workforce development hub designation, the Neighborhood Learning Alliance will create elementary after school and summer camp career pathway activities that expose low-income and minority elementary students to mid-to-high-paying career fields through interactive design labs.
The goal is to bring the experiences to students who live in the City of Pittsburgh and Wilkinsburg.
The project has three units: healthcare, clean energy and entertainment. The units will begin in the summer and continue throughout the year. Neighborhood Learning Alliance partners with the Wilkinsburg School District, Allegheny Youth Development and the Thelma Lovette YMCA. The opportunities will be available for students in the Miller, Morrow, Woolslair, Arsenal, Concord, Roosevelt, Wilkinsburg, Kelly and Turner schools.
The healthcare unit focuses on physical therapy.
“What happens when you break a bone or want to strengthen your ability to do a particular physical activity?” Henderson says. “What are some of the occupations that exist in this region? We want them to design their own prosthetics, too. Will they design something that’s going to fully work? No. But will they start to design and think about being a creative innovator and thinking about how we can help solve challenges together?”
Students in the clean energy unit would put together a proposal for transitioning to clean energy, and students in the sports entertainment unit learn about social media, and audio and video production.
Henderson adds that, aside from hands-on experiences, students will also be able to meet professionals. Students would interact with physical therapists, students could visit clean energy sites throughout the city or meet with local sports journalists.
No matter the unit, Henderson hopes that students will start developing career skills from an early age.
“I’m tired of reading articles of Pittsburgh being one of the worst places to live for Black women and Black people. I’m in a space of, ‘What are we going to do about it now?’” We are positioned in a unique space to leverage these educational opportunities in an innovative way that sometimes can’t happen during the school day.”
