Our Crowdfunding Groups
Making up over a quarter of its residents, Oakland is home to a growing population of immigrants. Consequently, the number of immigrant students in the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) has grown from 1,299 students in 2013 to 2,862 students in 2018, a 55% increase in immigrant youth in the past five years alone. In that same time frame, OUSD has provided their students with the technology that a modern-day education demands, and today, every student is given a laptop to supplement their K-12 curriculum. But as students graduate high school, these laptops are recycled back into the school district and a number of graduates are left without adequate access to technology, causing many immigrant graduates pursuing college fall behind on their desired academic and career goals.
Who Are We? The Migrant Advocacy Project (MAP) aims to promote racial equity for immigrant youth by increasing access to higher education. Our majority-minority team consists of four working professionals and three current UC Berkeley students, all of whom are extremely dedicated to promoting MAP’s values and furthering its mission.
MAP Team and MAP Scholars at the 2019 Awards Ceremony
What is the MAP Scholars Program? The MAP Scholars Program is a college preparatory program and scholarship initiative that promotes the inclusion of immigrant youth at their postsecondary institutions by reducing immigrant students’ self-reported, perceived barriers. In the upcoming Summer 2020 term, 10 graduating high school seniors from the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) will participate in eight workshops. The program’s core curriculum will focus on building students’ confidence in the following:
Resume building
Job interviewing skills
Email etiquette
Networking in the digital age
Initiating and maintaining professional communication with professors
Initiating and maintaining professional communication with employers
Ability to seek employment and mentorship on their college campuses
Financial literacy
Through a variety of interactive workshops, keynote lectures, and panels, the MAP Scholars Program supports immigrant youth in their preparation for college by sharing information, tools, and resources that both enhance and complement the awareness of their strengths and limitless capacities. Scholars are invited to apply their skills through a final workshop, which consists of a career panel discussion followed by one-on-one informational interviews with professors and professionals within their field of interest. Upon completion of the program, students will receive a MacBook Pro laptop with AppleCare protection.
Our Budget
All proceeds will go towards providing each MAP Scholar with an Apple MacBook Pro laptop. Our goal is to raise $10,000 through this campaign, which will allow us to provide eight students with the technology they need to continue their education.
Impact and Outcomes: Bridging the Gap
Economic inclusion: College expenses and the fear of incurring debt both act as barriers to higher education. By awarding each scholar with an Apple MacBook Pro laptop, MAP hopes to alleviate some of the burdens of financing an education.Not having access to reliable technology hinders a student’s ability to complete homework assignments and reduces overall productivity, which can have greater implications for career attainability.
Social inclusion: Participating in various on-campus activities, such as honor societies, research, greek social life, and professional student organizations require the completion of online applications. Not having access to reliable technology can hinder a student’s ability to participate in these on-campus communities, which can push students to the margins of their college campuses.
Educational equity: Unlike most merit-based programs, the MAP Scholars Program does not impose a GPA requirement. By selecting students based on alternative measures of success, MAP seeks to redefine what it means to be a scholar. MAP Scholars are community-oriented leaders who demonstrate intellectual curiosity, resilience in the face of adversity, and a willingness to give and seek help. Employing a holistic selection process promotes equal opportunity for students who come from diverse backgrounds to participate in this program.
To learn more about the MAP Scholars Program, please visit our website or Facebook page. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the project in more detail, you can contact us at migrantadvocacyproject@gmail.com.
For your $50 gift, we will give you a personalized shout-out on our Facebook page and send you a handwritten thank you card from the MAP leadership team!
For your $100 gift, you will be featured our website's donor wall and receive all perks listed above.
For your $500 gift, you will receive a personalized thank you video from the MAP Leadership Team and all perks listed above.
You will be invited to participate in our MAP Scholars Award Ceremony, where each student will be awarded an AppleMacBook Pro laptop and will receive all perks listed above.
