#ParkHillTalks Online - Covid-19 - Class of 2020 - June 12

We host #ParkHillTalks in places that people feel comfortable to share their experiences and stories. These are often places that people already congregate regularly.

In response to COVID-19, we have had to find flexibility in reaching people at home using video conferencing to keep the conversation going. These talks are intended to provide a space for community members to be updated in real time, find resources, and ultimately continue to build community.

#ParkHillTalks have unofficially been occurring in places in the community and online for as long as the neighborhood has existed. Bringing the structure of community organizing to video conferencing helps provide the platform to turn the conversations to action.

June 12, 2020

• 10 attendees

• Key topics

  • Education

    • High school students discussed the challenges with online learning. There is little interaction with teachers. We discussed how students and teachers can communicate better.

    • Spring break was extended, but the quality of school work was thrown together. Quality of lessons made the transition to online learning difficult. We discussed how teachers had to put together a curriculum and how students had to teach themselves hard topics.

    • Graduation came with no closure and not being able to see friends and teachers. Students didn’t know they weren’t going back to school. We discussed the absence of traditional senior events like prom and graduation.

    • Schools did their best to celebrate the graduating class, but it doesn’t feel like seniors graduated. Getting the diploma, and saying bye to teachers that were able to attend was rushed. We discussed how different schools took a different approach in graduating ceremonies.

    • There is uncertainty in how the college experience will be like. Students discussed wanting to take a gap year from going straight to college because of taking classes online. We discussed how IB and AP credits may not even be taken by colleges or universities.

  • Community

    • Community was taking social distancing precautions to take care of one another. Maturity reflected in young adults being careful and talking the pandemic seriously to not spread the virus. We discussed how quickly the world changed.

    • Difficulty in being able to connect with students taking similar classes with having to stay home. It was great to see support for community, class of 2020, and health professionals. We discussed there was not much that could have done to support students, other than virtual peer support.

  • Outcomes

    • We agreed there needs to be more awareness for young people to be engaged in social justice talks.

    • We agreed that social media is a tool that can be used to engage seniors in a safe way.

    • We agreed there is need for a way to get virtual tutoring especially for college students learning hard topics on their own.

    • We agreed there should be another chance to have a more official graduation ceremony or get together with teachers and students to be able to say bye.

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