Metro United Way is committed to ensuring that students all across our community graduate high school on time in order to succeed, and we know that we must go beyond the classroom to improve graduation rates. That’s why we partner with quality out-of-school time programs, like Educational Justice (EJ), who share our same passion and commitment to our youth.

Educational Justice works to innovate and implement practical solutions aimed at closing the opportunity gap in education. One of these solutions, called EJ Activists, uses the model of students mentoring students.

High school students across our community are encouraged to apply to a new kind of honor society, where they are chosen based on academic credentials, and if accepted, become activists for equality in education. These EJ Activists spend one hour a week tutoring their EJ Achiever – selected low-income students in grades 5 – 8 who are identified as needing academic help – for up to four years.

“As an Activist, I got to know and help my achiever beyond her weakest subject. While answering problems, we did not just aim to solve them, but strived to understand the main concept being tested in preparation for upcoming tests. Additionally, the program not only provides for more of a one-on-one tutoring experience but by pairing high achieving high school students with middle school students, it allows for the creation of a model figure to the student. Through it, I had a great time giving back to my community.” – Aboubacar Cherif.

By partnering with high-quality programs, we hope to prepare more of our youth for on-time graduation and set them on the path to success in college, work and life.