As Omicron threatens further school disruption, Backrs offers a promising way to complement existing school and community supports
With the emergence of the Omicron variant, it’s become apparent that COVID-19 will continue to have an impact on the daily lives of young people, for at least this school year. Parents and educators have spent the past 22 months wrestling with the impact of school closures on a young person’s routines, pandemic learning loss, and the impact of isolation and the loss of family and friends on a young person’s well-being, where emerging research suggests the prevalence of adolescent anxiety and depression has doubled during the pandemic. The effects of the pandemic for young people are especially pronounced for students from low-income backgrounds and communities of color.
Schools are doing incredible work, but they shouldn’t have to do it alone. This moment in time presents an opportunity to innovate and collaborate and extend community in new ways. At Backrs, we believe that in collaboration with schools we can offer additional support for young people during a challenging time. We saw young people in the Backrs Community experience quarantines and school closures throughout the first semester of school this year and expect disruptions will continue. And while Backrs is by no means a panacea, we believe our model is integrative, holistic, and highly personalized, and can bring additive, effective support for a young person during the pandemic.
Integrative: Unlike traditional mentorship models, Backrs assembles diverse small teams of 5 - 10 around each individual protege. The teaming format surrounds a child with a holistic set of supports and for adults can amplify everyone’s strengths and contributions. One of the roles we ask adult backrs to play is to affirm a young person. We’ve seen young people home in quarantine posting to their team and receiving caring responses or just a supportive emoji that helps them feel less alone and isolated
Holistic: The Backrs community journey includes four pillars: Academic, Passions & Purpose, Health & Wellness, and Career. While there are amazing programs and supports focused within each category, Backrs is unique in knitting these together and offering a holistic experience. Our virtual team format and tech-enabled experience allows Backrs to match teams up to include adults that have a range of diverse experiences and expertise across geographies to help each protege across a wide spectrum of needs and lean in to contribute where they have strengths.
Personalized: Proteges set individual goals in each of Backrs’ four pillar areas, and think about aspirations holistically. Adult backrs on their team provide expertise and connections to resources to help proteges pursue their goals. Qualifying young people are also given direct cash investment monthly that each young person and parent or guardian use to invest in that young person’s individual aspirations. Cash from Backrs can be used to access paid programs delivered at school or in the community or to fill in gaps in areas where their school does not cover interventions, like to access research-based and effective tutoring, save for post secondary education, or buy a meditation and sleep app to ensure they get enough rest to be at their best during the school day.
Interested in learning more about our model or signing up as a backr? Visit backrs.com.