After an Athens-Clarke County student started to fall behind in school due to prolonged sickness, University of Georgia student Lana Smith connected the child and their family to a free health care resource in order to get the student back on track.
This is just one example of how Smith and other members of Equal Education for Athens go above and beyond for students.
The UGA nonprofit provides free online tutoring and resource referrals to 100 Athens-Clarke County elementary and high school students in need. Typically, parents will sign their children up for tutoring or teachers will refer students to the group, known as EEA, if they notice they are falling behind in school.
EEA tutors also help students with other needs, including ACT/SAT prep, transportation and even referrals to social workers.
“EEA has by far been the most rewarding, meaningful part of my college experience,” Smith said.
Credit: Rachel Sandstrom/Covering Poverty
Credit: Rachel Sandstrom/Covering Poverty
Smith started off as a tutor her freshman year and felt inspired to get involved further with the organization, leading her to pitch the board the idea of opening a UGA student chapter. They ran with her idea and made her and another tutor student chapter liaisons. A year and a half later, Smith, a math, biology and art history major, became chair of the board of directors, a position she has held since then.
“Our mission is to keep kids in school amid an attendance crisis, and keep kids doing well and instill a love of learning into them,” Smith said.
Their strategy to execute this mission, and what makes EEA different from other tutoring/mentoring programs around Athens is their tutoring base is made up solely of college students. This encourages long-term relationships that often surpass a tutor’s time at UGA, Smith said.
At its core, EEA strives to “lessen barriers” and provide educational support to Athens students and their families.
Jaymie Bromfield, EEA’s nonprofit adviser, said her passion for the organization that Smith leads comes from her ability to impact not just the students, but their parents and teachers as well. Providing math and reading tutoring to children whose parents struggle to do so because of a language barrier or serving as an additional resource to teachers who are stretched thin is rewarding, she said.
“Thank you letters from families and teachers, seeing that “aha” moment when a student finally gets something that they’ve been really struggling with, it really is a satisfying feeling,” Smith said.
Smith emphasizes there are other Athens-based organizations doing similar things to EEA.
“We’re just one piece of a bigger puzzle,” she said.
Smith also highlighted EEA’s ability to “reach students that have fallen beneath the cracks,” which plays a role in bridging the educational disparity gap. As a short-term goal, the organization is working to better understand the Athens community’s needs. Their hope is to answer why there is such a large gap between the resource-rich community of Athens and other school districts.
In order to do this, the board encourages their leadership to volunteer in their community, equipping them with the ability to target what is needed in Athens.
“It’s more than just a weekly tutoring session that you can log as community service,” Smith said.
Smith, who came from Colorado to UGA, is looking to keep Equal Education a sustainable UGA organization. In doing so, she said she hopes to implement more long-term visions by offering greater resources to students, such as technology and transportation needs. They want to find additional UGA students who are already involved in other volunteer organizations and who may be interested in joining EEA.
“I really got to know so much about my new environment by working with people, both at the school in leadership and actually getting out and meeting families and meeting faculty at the schools,” Smith said.
HOW TO HELP
If you are interested in getting involved with Equal Education for Athens, email eea.uga@gmail.com.
If you are outside of UGA, you can contact equaleducationathens@gmail.com.
To donate, go to equaleducationathens.org/get-involved.
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