What We Are Doing

We are Mobilizing to Meet Immediate Needs.

Parents have lost jobs, which puts rent, health, and other basic necessities at risk. With campuses closed, students have lost the work-study job income they send home to their families. They may be among the estimated 300,000 students in NYC without access to computers. Their learning could be further stalled by not having reliable internet for virtual classes or because of responsibility for siblings no longer in daycare or school. We have already assisted students who lost jobs to help them pay rent, others who required expensive last-minute airfare to get home, and still others who needed internet and laptops for virtual classes. OppNet’s front line staff is serving as a critical support system for students as they face even more destabilizing challenges, like the risk to income from summer internships that may not materialize, the possibility that they won’t be able to matriculate at college, or the scarcity of full-time jobs amidst a projected unemployment rate of 20-30%. You can read more about the resources, services, and updates we’re providing our students here.

Luckily, we already have experience delivering our programs virtually to our college students and we will now bring that expertise to our work with our high school students. OppNet’s staff, who are also working remotely, are not only adapting our current lessons to teach them virtually, but are also adjusting our curriculum and supports to ensure that our students have the agency, skills, and knowledge they need as they confront the ripple effects of this crisis in the coming year and beyond.

We are Mobilizing to Prepare for What’s Coming 

We are actively communicating with our students to understand their broader needs. We are exploring our continued emergency response for our students, additional supports or funding they need. We’re also reaching out to OppNet’s school and youth-serving organization Career Fluency^® Partners in 25 cities across the country so we can work together to tap into the power of our community. What we learn from this listening exercise will ensure our work stays relevant for the young people we serve and for others across the country.

In crises, historically underresourced communities are at even a higher risk of being left behind: college tenures interrupted or never begun; uncertainty of financial aid; college loans secured but no degree realized; potential loss of the summer internships that build careers. The interruption of a degree or the loss of a paid internship has long-term economic impact. The biggest hits to employment, economic mobility and the opportunity for generational wealth creation will be felt by students from low-income communities. Our country, unfortunately, has the historical track record to prove it.