Freedom School Servant Leader Interns (SLI) work as paid summer camp counselors serving as teachers, mentors and role models for children for six weeks during the summer. SLIs work with children in grades K-8, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., lead a literacy rich curriculum during the morning, help serve breakfast and lunch, and chaperone field trips and activities in the afternoon. Attendance is expected at several parent meetings during the summer, typically on weeknights. Before Freedom School begins, Interns undergo 90 hours of training including a week-long National Freedom School Training event in Tennessee as well as seven days of pre and post training in early June.
Freedom School Partners is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 with the mission to promote the long-term success of children by preventing summer learning loss through igniting a passion for reading and inspiring a love of learning. The Freedom Schools® summer program was introduced in 2004 and has now expanded to multiple sites across Charlotte.
Founded in 1995 by the Children’s Defense Fund, Freedom Schools® program is a direct service initiative which provides summer options for children while strengthening parent and community involvement in the year-round achievement of children. Freedom Schools® serve children in grades K -8 for six weeks and integrates reading, conflict resolution, and social action in an activity-based curriculum that promotes social, cultural, and historical awareness. Built around the theme “I Can Make a Difference in Myself, My Family, My Community, My Country and My World with Hope, Action and Education,” Freedom School provides a literacy-rich, culturally-inspiring curriculum in which children learn to love to read. Using role models, community guests who share personal stories of making a difference, cooperative games, and activities for critical thinking, the children gain confidence and skills to strengthen their school-year performance.
