October update: ongoing classes, brand new iniatives, recognizing our volunteers.

Dear Robotics for All Community:

​With the 2020-2021 school year now in full swing, we are teaching over 200 K-8 students this fall. Though we all continue to battle with Zoom fatigue, these classes have been running very smoothly. We are proud of the work of our volunteer teacher team in ensuring these classes are a success. 

This past month, we welcomed over 50 business development interns to our community of volunteers. These interns form the core of our day-to-day operations. Among many tasks some of their tasks include cold emailing, conducting interviews, creating outreach materials, writing grants, improving our curriculum, and helping with spreadsheets. We are truly grateful for each and every one of our interns and the hard work they put in each day. 

As we look forward to the next few months, we have some exciting new initiatives we are working on:
1. New Curriculum
In time for our winter session, we are excited to introduce four new curricula to our course offerings: Java, Advanced Python, HTML/CSS (web design), and Scratch for K-3rd graders Part 2. Our volunteers have been working hard on developing these curricula, and we are truly excited to have students take these courses. 
2. New Partnerships
With the success of our cold emailing (thank you, business development interns), we are forging new partnerships with schools across the country, from California to Georgia. These schools include elementary, middle, and high schools. We are excited about these new partnerships, which will expand our reach and give more students from underserved communities direct access to our services. 

3. Tutoring for All
Led by Amari Butler (President of Tutoring for All) and Dilan Desir (Vice President of Tutoring for All), Tutoring for All will be a service that will provide on-demand tutoring services for middle and high school students. Particularly during COVID times, underserved students often need additional support, and we are confident that this service will help provide that. Amari and Dilan are in the process of finalizing logistics and interviewing tutors, and they expect this service to launch next month!

4. Mentoring for All
Mentoring for All will provide cost-free mentorship services for underserved high school students navigating high school and the college admissions process. This service is being led by Aarushi Khandelwal (President of Mentoring for All) and Emma Johnston (Vice President of Mentoring or All). They expect their program to launch in May 2021. In the meantime, their teams are busy preparing materials to ensure a smooth and successful launch!
5. Crafts for Charity
We are pleased to formally announce that we will be fiscally sponsoring another organization, Crafts for Charity. This organization’s mission is to empower volunteers to learn more about making crafts, then donating what they make to those in need. Crafts for Charity is founded by Victoria Tsai, one of our volunteers. We are incredibly supportive of their work and are grateful for our partnership. You can learn more about Crafts for Charity by visiting https://www.craftsforcharity.com/. 

Please join me in congratulating our new Director of Recruitment: Ben Wyler. This application process was the most competitive in company history and we applaud everyone who applied for taking the initiative to apply. Ben currently serves as a teacher for PBL Scratch, a curriculum developer, and an interviewer. He possesses strong communication skills and a clear vision for the company. He is the perfect fit for this position, which is also a board member position. 


Congratulations to Dilan Desir and Danielle Trinh, our first volunteers of the month! Every month going forward, we will choose two volunteers who went above and beyond that month, to help recognize their contributions! 
Dilan’s incredible passion for Robotics for All’s mission is shown through his commitment on so many fronts of the organization. Firstly, he is a passionate teacher, teaching four classes right now, more than anyone else. Secondly, together with Amari, he has put in a great amount of effort in spearheading our new Tutoring for All program. Dilan also is a member of our interview team, our curriculum development team, and other teams that would be too long to list because he simply does so much for the organization. He’s an incredibly approachable person who is a role model for others. 
Danielle exemplifies the values that we look for in a Robotics for All volunteer: passionate about our mission, diligent in her work, and incredibly kind and professional in her communication. Last month, she created a video on how to improve the efficiency of cold emailing. Every intern training going forward, Aarushi and I have shared Danielle’s video with new interns. This is just one example of the initiative that Danielle takes in our organization. She also works incredibly hard on our curriculum development teams and puts her 100% into everything she does. Danielle is also a great team player and someone who is extremely fun to work with.

As we approach the holiday season, we wish you the best as we continue to adapt to this “new normal” way of life. 

Best Regards,
Max