I remember the words like I said them yesterday…”I just don’t know how we’re going to move forward.” Like many, when COVID-19 became very real in the States, Team LEG had a meeting (over Zoom of course). Like many, when the panic set in, we discussed how to move forward, if forward was even possible. I’ll be honest, because our product was developed as a live in-school presentation, I had some difficulty wrapping my mind around how to shift to an online platform.
Luckily, my amazing team (and wife) steered me away from throwing in the towel in the midst of a global pandemic. Their positivity, ingenuity, knowledge, and persistence gave me the strength to not only find the proverbial boot straps, but grab hold and pull myself and my team up. Because of this incredible group of people (and please keep in mind, they are ALL VOLUNTEERS), LEG was able to not only create a strong, engaging, and insightful virtual product, we launched three of our topics via Zoom with a group of 35 summer interns with the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. The survey results were extremely positive, and our continued talks with administration is seeing further development of our partnership into the new school year. I couldn’t be prouder of my team!
With this successful trial, we at LEG have determined that online teaching will become a much larger part of our student’s curriculum – regardless of how various school districts decide to structure in-class instruction in the coming months. Now that LEG has a tested and proven online product, we are excited to be able to offer our free classes anywhere in the country. High school age students will be able to benefit from a live, interactive class, offering important life-skills that will enhance how they start early adulthood.
In addition, because of the added “free time” on my hands, I have officially filed LEG for 501c3 Nonprofit status. We’re looking at an up to 6 month process for everything to go through, but despite the potential half year wait, I am ecstatic to be at this point!
It has been nearly four months since our last blog entry and LEG has a whole new look, direction, and opportunity. In our current times of global health issues, human inequality protests, and economic instability, LEG hopes to position ourselves to be a much needed beacon for change and progress. When we started a little over a year ago, our intent was to supplement high school education with courses once offered and now typically no longer provided. As this still remains very true today, I can’t help but feel more of a responsibility to provide our education to anyone who may benefit. Growth starts with new knowledge, or the pursuit of said knowledge, and empowerment begins with the opportunity to learn it.
– Shawn
