Interview with Sarah from The Covid NineTEEN Project

The COVID NineTEEN Project is a teen-led organization. It is a crisis relief organization

that provides students with support during this pandemic and addresses educational inequalities worldwide. They want other teens to be inspired to take initiative and make a difference in their community, as well as spread the word to parents to sign their kids up.

They host free teen-led activities and one-on-one tutoring daily. They currently have over 300 students enrolled and over 100 teen mentors who lead the sessions. Their live sessions are live U.S. Pacific Standard Time, but accessible for free, internationally.

As daughters of educators, both Sarah and Skye understand the pressure that these lifestyle changes have put on young children, especially in terms of their education. They saw firsthand the hardships that parents and students were facing as a result of the shift to online classes.

Both Sarah and Skye, having a passion for advocacy, knew that they needed to step up and provide these opportunities for students who may not have access to these resources otherwise. Shapiro emphasizes, “We knew that we needed to address the difficulties students are having with acclimating to distance learning and make an everlasting impact on their lives during these unprecedented times.”

Through The COVID NineTEEN Project, 1st through 5th-grade elementary school students have access to free daily tutoring and activities. As parents have been tasked with balancing their work, home, and personal lives, all while trying to take care of their children, one of the goals of this program is to provide a fun and safe space for children, all while easing some of the stress on parents by providing an entertainment outlet for their kids.

Co-founder, Skye Loventhal expresses, “As teens who are passionate about

advocacy, we knew we wanted to do something to help, and this seemed like an amazing way for us to contribute to our community and beyond.” The whole board, as well as many of the volunteers, agree that their favorite part of the organization is creating connections with the students and inspiring them to reach their fullest potential.

The most rewarding moments have truly been seeing students show up to sessions, again and again, talking about how much fun they’ve had. Seeing the positive impact we’ve made on these children in such a short time is truly rewarding.

One of the most rewarding experiences for me (Sarah) has been working with a

student in one-on-one tutoring. I worked with a student for the first time last Tuesday, and she has since requested to work with me in every session. They feel as if they have truly built a wonderful connection where I can serve as a mentor to her. All of the learning moments and laughs have made all of the difficulties in establishing this program worth it!

Go check them out @covidnineteenproject on Instagram!

Covid NineTEEN Website