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At the beginning of the 2023 school year, Reality Changers moved to a new location in Downtown San Diego. Our Education Center is now located on-site at Urban Discovery Academy (1400 Park Blvd) and our offices are now located at 1331 E Street. Our programs at high schools across San Diego will continue at those locations.
When we learned over the summer that our space at Wilson Middle School would no longer be available for the ’23-’24 school year, we were fortunate to find a new partner, Urban Discovery Schools, for our headquarters.
Reality Changers continues to serve youth from across San Diego, including families from the area around Wilson Middle School. As part of this exciting new partnership, we will also begin offering programs to students at Urban Discovery Academy.
Our new location in Downtown San Diego will bring Reality Changers physically closer to where the program was initially founded. In addition, we are excited to be part of a Downtown Education Corridor that includes San Diego High School, San Diego Community College, Urban Discovery Schools, UC San Diego Park & Market, and others.
We invite members of the public to come visit our new space. Sign up today to attend an upcoming Speech Night event!
Check out our Press Release below to learn more about this exciting new partnership…
Urban Discovery Academy and Reality Changers Unite to Address Modern Education Challenges
Partnership will help address chronic absenteeism and prepare youth for college with a strong focus on design thinking to solve real-world issues.
SAN DIEGO, CA — Urban Discovery Academy (UDA) and Reality Changers, two well-known local education organizations, have officially joined forces to address modern education challenges and prepare youth for the future. This new partnership, which has Reality Changers housed within the UDA campus, is intended to increase student retention rates and college readiness at a time when student enrollment is declining and chronic absenteeism is increasing. Local families can enroll now to start their children on a career-focused continuum of learning that begins with transitional kindergarten and continues through college graduation.
UDA, located in Downtown San Diego, is a charter school that uses the community as a learning laboratory to develop design thinkers who can use critical skills to solve real-world problems. Reality Changers is a nonprofit organization and after-school program that prepares youth to become first-generation college graduates and agents of change in their communities. The organization will begin providing its life-changing college access programs to Urban Discovery students.
Together, UDA and Reality Changers are planning an integrated continuum of individualized, high-touch care that serves youth, often from under-resourced communities, starting in elementary school, through college graduation, and beyond. According to a literature review by the Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest, programs with mentorship and accountability components have been shown to decrease absenteeism rates.
“We’re thrilled to combine our established community learning laboratory educational approach with the Reality Changers model for college readiness to give our students the best chance at a successful future,” said MaeLin Levine, Board President of Urban Discovery Academy. “The wraparound learning and support they will receive will make them college and career-ready, but also better prepared to address real-world challenges in life.”
College degrees are transformational tools for social mobility. According to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics, a bachelor’s degree holder has a projected average annual income 79% higher than someone with a high school diploma.
“Reality Changers will provide that final piece for Urban Discovery Academy students. We’ll be working with them to ensure that they get into college, graduate from college, and launch their careers,” says Tamara Craver, president & CEO of Reality Changers. “We’re bringing a proven track record of success. Youth who participate in our programs are seven times more likely to graduate from college.” In addition to serving UDA students, Reality Changers will continue to serve youth across the San Diego region. Anyone can become a volunteer tutor or mentor for Reality Changers students.