My name is Tracy Ogbunamiri, and I am one of the co-founders of Impact 6. Impact 6 is a group of like-minded individuals who are creating meaningful change in their communities through mentorship, community service, and mutual aid.
From Oprah to Bill Gates, from Beyonce to Lebron James, the role models we look toward in our society are known for their tireless work ethic and constant drive to be better, and we’ve come to associate these traits with our definition of success. After all, that’s the American Dream, right? Work hard, be successful – in that order, without fail. Yet we know it’s not that simple. There’s one thing missing in that equation that’s constantly left out, but its role is never denied – opportunity. Without the opportunity to nourish us, the strongest work ethics and most intelligent minds can wither like a plant lacking water. Millions of kids are told that hard work will give them the chance to go places but, due to circumstances well outside their control, they often find themselves stuck where they are no matter how hard they try. Social mobility for kids born in under-resourced areas is at an all-time low.
It’s a crisis we cannot sit idly by and ignore. We must rally our communities around these kids, giving them a path to follow when they are lost and a hand for support when they need it. No child should be denied the opportunity to realize their potential based on the hand the world has dealt them.
Our vision is to build a bridge to connect the youth from underprivileged and underserved communities to mentorships that will provide access to resources, experiences, and knowledge necessary for the youth to excel. We want these kids to be leaders in the not-too-distant future. So, let’s partner with them on their journey. Let’s listen to them and answer their questions. Let’s empower them to be bold, creative, and passionate.
Every year, Impact 6 commits to various initiatives that help fill a gap in essential resources such as food, clothes, technology, and hygiene products. Impact 6 has already led a few drives and initiatives that have reached many people in seven different cities in the United States:
- Food insecurity led to Impact 6’s Hunger Drive. We fed over 10,000 families across the US. We know these statistics about hunger courtesy of the FRAC:
– More than 35 million Americans live in households that struggle against hunger.
– One in ten (10.5 percent) of households in the U.S. experience food insecurity. - Period Poverty led to Project Period which helps support young girls and women with accessible feminine hygiene products. We were able to supply 44,000 pads, 44,000 tampons, and socks to women in need.
Currently, we are our working on our Tech Drive. The purpose of this Tech Drive is to provide 200 laptops and 200 backpacks to high school students from underserved communities in the San Francisco and Oakland area. We believe doing so will aid in closing the digital divide. Children are truly our future. The tutoring and mentorship programs Impact 6 offers have created amazing connections with the local youth, which was one of the original goals.
To continue helping underserved kids reach for the stars, Impact 6 is leading a tech drive this August with goals of collecting 200 laptops, 200 mobile hotspot devices, and quality internet services. According to an FCC December 2019 Internet Access Service Report, 44 million households don’t even have a standard broadband connection. With many schools still being online due to COVID, and all schools needing computer and internet access to complete adequate work and perform well alongside peers, providing laptops and internet service is a way to create lasting and equitable change for these kids. It will also give a chance for children to develop tech literacy which will be beneficial for their future. This has a real impact, and it’s scalable.
To learn how you can support Impact 6, visit www.impact6.org/ + follow them on Instagram!
