{"id":160,"date":"2025-03-12T08:18:09","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T08:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailycrowd.io\/?p=160"},"modified":"2025-03-12T08:19:33","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T08:19:33","slug":"crowdfunding-paving-the-way-for-childrens-futures-beyond-gadgets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailycrowd.io\/?p=160","title":{"rendered":"Crowdfunding: Paving the Way for Children’s Futures Beyond Gadgets"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>3 Minute, 3 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

In 2007, Beth Schmidt was a Teach for America member teaching English to 165 tenth graders in South Central Los Angeles. Still relatively inexperienced, she initially assigned a research paper on migrant workers\u2014a task unlikely to engage her largely uninterested students. Predictably, only about 10 percent submitted their papers.<\/p>\n

Recognizing the need for a new approach, Schmidt shifted her strategy. For the next assignment, students were asked to explore a personal passion and research a related summer program in Los Angeles. This time, nearly all the students turned in a paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was this significant shift from apathy to a distinct excitement, and it got them writing,\u201d Schmidt recalls.<\/p>\n

Inspired by this success, Schmidt completed a marathon to raise $12,000, enough to send seven students to their chosen programs. The transformation in the students when they returned was remarkable. \u201cIt felt like a total 180,\u201d she says, noting their increased confidence and broader visions for their futures.<\/p>\n

Eager to expand on this initial success, Schmidt founded Wishbone.org in 2012, a non-profit crowdfunding platform designed to assist low-income students in securing funds for elite summer programs. To date, Wishbone has helped send 378 students to various programs, raising over $1 million. Recently, through a partnership with Uncommon Schools\u2014a charter school system in New York City\u2014Wishbone is set to broaden its reach by supporting 104 students in the upcoming summer term, marking the first school-wide fundraising campaign for the organization.<\/p>\n

Schmidt is hopeful that this will be just the beginning.<\/p>\n

Crowdfunding for Educational Opportunities<\/strong><\/p>\n

The idea that crowdfunding can aid in financing education, rather than just funding creative projects, is gradually gaining traction. A leading example is DonorsChoose.org, which enables teachers to raise funds for classroom essentials. Over 1.7 million contributors have supported nearly 236,000 educators. Other initiatives, like UpStart, connect students with investors willing to fund their education in exchange for a share of future earnings. These models aim to address the gaps in an educational system that often neglects underprivileged students.<\/p>\n

However, Wishbone distinguishes itself from typical crowdfunding platforms. Campaigns cannot be launched by just anyone; students must undergo an extensive application process that includes a personal essay and sponsorship from a teacher or coach who can advocate for them. Additionally, Wishbone partners with multiple summer programs covering various interests\u2014academics, athletics, and the arts\u2014and negotiates partial scholarships. Students are then tasked with raising the remaining funds, averaging around $1,000 each. Impressively, every student who has created a campaign on Wishbone has achieved full funding.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe success stems from having a teacher who knows the student personally and is willing to share their campaign,\u201d Schmidt explains. \u201cThis creates a strong motivation to support that student.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fresh Perspectives<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kenneth Herrera, Uncommon Schools\u2019 director of college completion, cites Wishbone\u2019s consistent success rate as a significant factor in the partnership. The summer programs offered provide students with experiences that often elude them in their regular school days\u2014namely, exposure to new people, environments, and activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re introduced to different experiences beyond their usual classroom routines,\u201d Herrera states. \u201cThis often enhances their motivation to seek more possibilities in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

This enthusiasm often resonates within the student community. Last year, Nicole Doyle successfully raised nearly $8,000 on Wishbone to attend a college prep program at Syracuse University. Upon her return, she described her experience as \u201clife-changing\u201d and was driven to motivate younger classmates to pursue similar opportunities. \u201cI felt transformed when I got back. I even revised my college essay,\u201d she states. \u201cIt gave me a new outlook on what I needed to do to distinguish myself.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2007, Beth Schmidt was a Teach for America member teaching English to 165 tenth graders in South Central Los Angeles. Still relatively inexperienced, she initially assigned a research paper on migrant workers\u2014a task unlikely to engage her largely uninterested students. Predictably, only about 10 percent submitted their papers. Recognizing the need for a new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailycrowd.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailycrowd.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailycrowd.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailycrowd.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailycrowd.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=160"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailycrowd.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162,"href":"https:\/\/dailycrowd.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160\/revisions\/162"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailycrowd.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailycrowd.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailycrowd.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailycrowd.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}