PROGRAMS
All Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid projects are in direct response to needs expressed by our community. When a need arises, we will find a way to meet it together.
THE #WeKeepUsSafe BACK TO SCHOOL BASH!
Students and families face immense challenges in our city. One of these challenges is the need for all children to have the resources necessary for proper, equitable preparation for the coming school year. The underinvestment in critical school resources and aging infrastructure, and a lack of access to essential support services perpetuates structural, systematic injustice in our local school system. These problems are not new but Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid fights to address these challenges head on because “normal” was never good enough. The outsized impact of these inequities on our most vulnerable students and families — our Black and Brown students and our immigrant students — will persist unless we collectively address them. That’s why Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid launched our Annual #WeKeepUsSafe Back to School Bash in 2020. Our goal is to ensure that ALL of our DC students have the resources and support they need to thrive.
We need your help. Here’s how you can support DC students:
If you have any questions or want to get involved, please reach out at b2sb@serveyourcitydc.org.
FOOD & SUPPLIES
We have delivered over $150,000 worth of food to more than 10,000 families, including especially vulnerable unhoused individuals living in tent encampments—and we know that this barely touches the need. Additionally, we distribute diapers, hand sanitizer, masks, cleaning supplies, feminine hygiene products, tents, sleeping bags, and more.
We collaborate with the Capital Area Food Bank and Food For All DC, and we accept donations from churches, individuals, and other groups. Working in unison with our partner organizations, we identify individuals and families in need and arrange distribution through a customized internal delivery app developed by our community members.
EDUCATION & ENRICHMENT
Tutoring
We offer free virtual tutoring to students across DC, Maryland, and Virginia, thanks to the dedication of hundreds of college students and working professionals. These volunteers provide essential academic support to families and children in our communities. Each student is paired with two tutors to assist with subjects like math, reading, Spanish, science, and history—or any other areas where they need help.
Last year, we connected 195 college students and recent graduates with over 130 Black and Brown K-12 students, delivering personalized tutoring support.
Need help with schoolwork? Click here for tutoring support.
Interested in becoming a tutor? Click here to make an impact!
Enrichment
Building on more than a decade of after-school programming and youth engagement, Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid offers students high-quality virtual and socially distanced enrichment classes. These free programs include guitar lessons, creative writing, music production, yoga and meditation, photography, piano, computer coding, rowing, trapeze classes, and more. With over 130 students currently participating, these activities are made possible through collaborations with organizations such as Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, An Indivisible Art Collective, Unity Boat Club, and Capitol City Circus School.
To learn more or sign up for future classes, email us at youthenrichment@serveyourcitydc.org.
Digital Devices & Internet Access
When local government failed to meet the needs of Black and Brown families, Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid stepped in. We’ve distributed over 7,000 backpacks filled with digital devices, internet hotspots, essential supplies, and even fun activities. Additionally, we’ve provided digital devices to elderly residents to help them access critical health services.
Need a digital device or have one to donate? Email us at digitaldevices@serveyourcitydc.org.
Digital Devices Training Program
Our Digital Devices Training Program gives Black and Brown youth in DC hands-on experience in procuring, refurbishing, and distributing digital devices within their communities, while also teaching them to provide tech support to families. This program, housed at the ONE DC Black Workers & Wellness Center, promotes racial and economic justice by fostering sustainable employment and nurturing economic alternatives.
Following the Mutual Aid model, this initiative builds leadership from within the community rather than relying on outside charity. Students develop valuable tech skills, meet real community needs, and even have the potential to earn a profit.
HEALTH & WELL-BEING
Addressing Health Disparities
Black and Brown communities have been disproportionately affected by health disparities, facing significant barriers to accessing resources for wellness and recovery. To address these challenges, we focus on improving public health through education about health issues while providing essential protective equipment, such as masks, hand sanitizer, and gloves, to residents in various settings.
Community Engagement and Support
In collaboration with artists, health professionals, and community partners, we have created and distributed over 10,000 culturally relevant informational flyers and handed out more than 50,000 masks. We have also provided health education to over 5,000 community members, including personal hygiene products and instructions for their use.
Chocolate City Free Diaper Blowout
To support women’s health and family wellness across DC, our ‘Chocolate City Free Diaper Blowout’ program has made a significant impact by distributing over 1,300 diapers and 1,300 personal feminine hygiene products each month. This initiative benefits 400 families in Ward 6 shelters and individual families across multiple wards in Washington, DC. Our partnerships with the James Creek Resident Council, Always Hope Inc., Ar Rashidun Community Center, and Christ United Methodist Church play a crucial role in our ability to distribute these free and easily accessible resources to support the well-being of our families.
Outreach for Our Unhoused Neighbors
In our efforts to support our unhoused neighbors, our Encampments’ Outreach Team, in partnership with the People for Fairness Coalition, has supplied toiletries, food, sleeping bags, tents, and clothing to 150 people per week experiencing homelessness.
Mental Well-Being Initiatives
Recognizing the importance of mental well-being, we continue to offer mindfulness and extracurricular programming, including socially distanced outdoor yoga and meditation sessions, ensuring our families and students can find moments of calm amidst the chaos.
ADVOCACY
We make the community whole when we address everyone’s critical needs and fight to tear down the structural racism and inequity that harms Black and Brown people nationally and in our city. We are dedicated to supporting our numerous partners in their advocacy for guaranteed income through our collaboration with the DC Guaranteed Income Coalition/Mother’s Outreach Network, disability and racial justice in District of Columbia Public Schools with the DC Child Justice Coalition/Chi Bornfree Inc., and the end of the criminalization of homelessness through the “Housing is a Human Right” campaign alongside the People For Fairness Coalition. We also advocate for internet access for all with the DC Equity Coalition and testify at the Wilson Building for essential city budget items, calling out a law enforcement structure and history that threatens the lives of Black and Brown people. Our commitment extends to attending ANC meetings and tracking the city's comprehensive development plan to ensure that more DC residents are not pushed out of their neighborhoods by developers. It’s all of us, or none of us.
You can help! Solidarity requires all of us. Reach out, and let’s discuss what’s needed and how you can contribute—whether by becoming a community member (our term for volunteer), making a one-time or recurring donation, or providing a business sponsorship.
Need help or know someone who does?
Email: ward6mutualaid@gmail.com or call 202-683-9962