The nonprofit Cincinnati Dream Chasers, normally a resource for after-school youth leadership programs, is changing its strategy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Now, leaders said, they want to help parents, students and schools struggling with their adjustment to remote learning.
“We’re looking at being a resource, a tool for teachers and educators to be able to incorporate some of the character development and personal development into the school day,” said executive director Elisabeth Galperin.
Parents all over the country have struggled to fill their days at home in the absence of in-person classes. Many of them are guiding their children’s education and searching for entertainment while simultaneously working from home or attempting to navigate frustrating, overloaded unemployment systems.
Dream Chasers is stepping in to help, Galperin said, by posting free daily exercises online to help kids work on personal development, physical activity and creativity while stuck in quarantine.
Each takes about 45 minutes, and families can do as much or as little as they want at home.
The leadership, self-esteem and resilience the organization normally teaches are especially important now, she added.
“Right now it’s not just about keeping them up with their academic skills, but really paying attention to how they’re feeling about themselves, how they’re feeling about their environment,” she said. “We want kids to understand that life is going to throw obstacles in their way, but they have the ability within themselves to overcome the obstacles.”
