St. Columba’s-Truesdell Educational Partnership (STEP)
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The St. Columba’s-Truesdell Educational Partnership (STEP) began in 1994 with the mission to help unite our divided city by enhancing educational opportunities for that year’s kindergarten class at Truesdell Elementary School. STEP later began an affiliation with the I Have a Dream (IHAD) Foundation. Since that time, STEP has continued to serve all of the STEP “Dreamers” in a broad and deep program of assistance. Forty-five Dreamers are now enrolled in two- and four-year colleges and in other job and career training programs. Our primary focus remains on college completion. Indeed, we are acutely aware of the statistics telling us that as low-income minorities, the odds are against most of the Dreamers completing college and obtaining their degrees. According to a 2009 story in The Washington Post Magazine, only 9 percent of D.C. high school students will graduate from college within five years of leaving the city’s public school system. Knowing that reality, STEP has been fully committed to beating the odds with our Dreamers by doing everything in our power to give them a full and fair chance for success, including providing a STEP scholarship fund to cover the full cost, after other financial aid and awards, of tuition, room, board, books and computers for each Dreamer enrolled in college and other programs.
Still, we also know that financial support is only part of what it takes to succeed in college. Therefore, St. Columba’s has continued to reach out to the Dreamers and to provide them with the guidance, assistance and encouragement they need to complete college and continue pursuing their dreams. Roughly a dozen Dreamers are fully launched at competitive schools, doing well and on target to graduate within four years, in many cases with honors. We are deeply moved by the success of this cohort.
And yet, as gratifying as the success of this group has been, it does not reveal where the real work of the STEP program is today. Rather, the vast majority of our time and energy now is devoted to the other 60 or so Dreamers for whom the transition to college and adulthood has proven far more challenging. Included in this larger group are a number of Dreamers who currently are not in school and who need help in developing personal plans to either get them in school or to pursue other job training opportunities.
To meet the needs of this broader group of Dreamers, we have had to evolve and adapt, which always has been a core strength of the STEP program. Indeed, the two most important elements of STEP are its longevity and its willingness to change. What began as a volunteer effort shifted to a structure including paid staff and continues today as a joint effort between staff and volunteers. Together, we continue to work one-on-one with these Dreamers to help them prioritize their responsibilities, set realistic goals and work through difficulties and challenges. For the Dreamers who need special counseling because of personal issues or weak academic skills, our long-time Program Coordinator is in almost constant contact with them via telephone, e-mail and texting to provide case management and encouragement as they struggle to complete their studies. These efforts are supported by a vibrant group of approximately 20 STEP volunteers, many of whom have known the Dreamers since they were in elementary school and who have honored their commitment to be there for the Dreamers for the long haul.
Also included in the group needing intensive support are the Dreamer moms, who are especially struggling to build a life for themselves and for their children. With the help of an experienced social worker and volunteers, the Program Coordinator has established the Dreamer Moms’ Group, which meets regularly to provide support and fellowship for the Dreamers with children. Although the young women find the group helpful, each mom also needs additional one-on-one counseling to grapple with the challenges of young motherhood and her own personal aspirations. STEP assists the moms in prioritizing their goals as mothers and as individuals, in initiating academic endeavors and in pursuing employment and training opportunities.
The results of these efforts are no less rewarding than the academic achievements of our other Dreamers. Indeed, in many ways they are even more important, as we strive to see progress in the lives of all of our Dreamers who are each precious in God’s sight.
St. Columba’s is grateful for the generous support of an anonymous donor for enabling this work. STEP also depends on ongoing individual contributions from parishioners and others. You may make a direct donation to STEP through the Giving tab of our online member portal (make sure to designate STEP from the pull-down menu) or by check payable to St. Columba's Episcopal Church, with STEP in the memo line.
Click the following link for more information:
I Have a Dream (IHAD) Foundation
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Photo: Daniel Kim
