for students, by students
A youth-led nonprofit encouraging education and pursuit of the Liberal Arts, providing global resources and programs to K-8 students.
OUR MISSION
​Lightwave Learning is an organization dedicated to fostering global access to liberal arts education and empowering students through advocacy. Our mission is to break down barriers of cost and culture, enabling schools worldwide to integrate liberal arts into their curriculum. Through the establishment of comprehensive reading and writing classes, as well as debate and speech programs, we aim to cultivate creativity, effective communication, and persuasive expression. Together, we strive to ignite a transformative wave of education that empowers students to become catalysts for positive change equipped with the power of the written word.
LIGHTWAVE CLASSROOM
880 58+ 11
Students served worldwide hrs of classes taught U.S. states, 7 countries
Lightwave provides free online and in-person courses in four distinct disciples of liberal arts: reading, writing, speech, and debate. The core values of the liberal arts- communication, expression, creation, and advocacy- are the fundamentals that change is built upon. What better way to share these values than to put them into practice?
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Click the buttons below to suggest other courses or learn more about our instructors.
EVENTS
PAGES OF HOPE BOOK DRIVE
SEPTEMBER 1ST-NOVEMBER 15TH, 2023
Lightwave Learning is partnering with the African Library project and East Ridge National Honor Society to collect 1,300+ books and ship them various locations across Africa, including the Trinity Primary and Preschool in Uganda, Senay-Gedam Library in Ethiopia, and the Fazle Rabbee Foundation in Bangladesh. At the preschool, we will help the school's 700+ students gain access to a library, furthering their intellectual vitality and opportunities to learn. Initiatives such as this within the community enable us to distribute the tangible educational resources that, from a young age, play a pivotal role in our own development as future leaders, communicators, and advocates.
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In our local community, we are collaborating with the student body of East Ridge High School, the YMCA, patrons of the King of Kings Church, and residents of Woodbury, Minnesota, to get a running head start in our initiative.
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Contact info.lightwavee@gmail.com with any donation inquiries or questions!
At Lightwave, beyond online courses, we host a number of in-person opportunities and events to support our local and global communities in as many ways as possible. Check out some of our current events here!
In-Person Event: Introduction to Speech and Debate Workshop
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10TH, 2023
In partnership with the R.H. Stafford Library in Woodbury, Minnesota, Lightwave Learning is hosting an in-person speech and debate workshop for anyone ages 5th-8th grade. Come visit for an interactive, enriching opportunity to get some public speaking experience first hand!
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In this engaging workshop, students will step into the shoes of lawmakers, politicians, and advocates as they delve into the world of speech and debate. Through the program, they will be introduced to skills in critical thinking, persuasive argumentation, and effective rhetoric through hands-on activities, including speaking drills, interactive games, and mini debates. Early engagement in this competitive activity fosters vital skills for future leaders.
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Thank you to the Washington County Library for providing us the space, support, and opportunity to host this awesome project!
PAGES OF HOPE BOOK DRIVE
Lightwave Learning successfully collected 1,300+ books for our Pages of Books Hope Drive, raising $650+ for shipping fees and successfully shipping the books out in December of 2023. We are honored to be named a 2023 Global Literacy Champion by the African Library Project on February 10th, 2024. We are eternally grateful to the National Honor Society of East Ridge High School, the Washington County Library of Woodbury, MN, our teachers and administration, and our community for all of their support during this process!
Photos of the books being unloaded! We would like to thank the African Library Project and the Ugandan Lianson for the Trinity Primary and Preschool, in their efforts to make this possible.
Update 6/19/2024: In the new year, the container of books sailed, and our boxes landed and were unloaded in Mombasa and trucked across Kenya to the border with Uganda! They passed inspection and finally arrived at Enjuba, near the capital city of Kampala. The video is of Doris, one of our partners in Northern Uganda who is taking a truck load of books to distribute in the North. The person in red is William, one of our partners in enjuba who supervised the unloading of the container, the sorting of the boxes and the distribution to libraries.
9/9/2024: We have recieved a thank-you letter from our partners in Uganda, as well as pictures of Trinity Primary and Preschool children enjoying their books. View below!
The class allowed access for students to learn two incredibly important factors of writing, that would greatly benefit them in the future. The class also explained how to write descriptively as well as informative, which was good. The class was helpful toward my reading, as it allowed to to write descriptively as well as learn many new strategies and ways of writing, greatly boosting my reading skills. The class was helpful, with many learning materials such as the pear deck and many more. This allowed students to learn quickly, as well as have access to many resources.
Harvey, age 12- New York City, New York
This class was pretty nice. There were recordings when you missed class, you got to anonymously contribute to the class discussion, you didn’t have to speak out loud. It was really nice! It helped me realize that my writing style can be repetitive, how to look deeper into a character's psychological development, and just generally showed me how to write a good analysis.
Emily, age 12- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The class was very thorough and well planned. My child felt as if she learned a lot more than from school. The teacher is great, very kind, and went out of her way to make sure my child got detailed feedback in her assignments. My child also loved the book that was chosen. I appreciate the class’s focus on the psychology of characters, it was very different from what schools teach about book analysis. We look forward to Lightwave’s next classes.
Abigail, Parent- China
[Teacher name] is very professional. She taught students a lot about how to emphasize the story. She gave the feedback immediately. My son learned how to understand the connotations of story. [Teacher name] is an excellent instructor. My son said she is better than his ELA teacher at school. She responded quickly. She has great knowledge. And she helped my son to improve his reading. I wish my son the opportunity to continue learning from [teacher].​
Qingmei, Parent- Shoreview, Minnesota
LIGHTWAVE TESTIMONIALS
LIGHTWAVE COMMUNITY GALLERY
We are always working to support our local communities with in person events and workshops. Check out some of the awesome opportunities we've had, and the incredible people who made them happen!
Pictured above: student work on Pages of Hope Book Drive, student-hosted Speech and Debate Workshop at Washington County Library
Get Involved
At Lightwave, we’re always on the lookout for students who share our profound appreciation for the liberal arts. We offer a variety of volunteering, tutoring, and leadership opportunities to those who share our passion, including in-person and virtual courses, as well as free curriculums training provided upon request. If you’re someone looking to give back to your community and join an enthusiastic community of dynamic, like-minded individuals, Lightwave is the place for you!
We are now accepting applications to become a tutor/teacher for Lightwave Learning. Stay tuned for more positions to come!
OUR PARTNERS
at Lightwave, we collaborate with several organizations to make our services accessible, interactive, and widespread across the world. thank you to our partners for their continued support and inspiration- you make our programs possible!
