In the winter of 2020, I participated in a two-day youth organizing retreat in Detroit. Young people from organizations across the city came together to learn about community organizing, build community and develop a city-wide education justice campaign.
Throughout the retreat, I watched and participated as youth organizers critically analyzed their school experiences and co-created ideas for school improvement campaigns. The physical space of the retreat offered plentiful resources to help everyone meet their needs: flexible seating, break tables for arts and crafts, snacks and affirmation envelopes for each student to write and receive encouraging letters.
The day after the retreat, one student shared in our group chat, “The retreat was actually really fun. Wouldn’t it be cool if our school was actually like that?”
This question invited me to think critically about my experiences as a youth organizer and educator. While youth organizing spaces emphasize young people’s autonomy, knowledge and lived experiences, school spaces often relegate young people to more passive roles such as the learner, listener or rule follower. In my experience, this profoundly impacts how students show up in the classroom.
As a teacher, I’ve had students in my class who were reserved, compliant and disengaged; however, in shared organizing spaces, those same students were active participants, assertive and confident.
How can teachers learn from the practices and principles of youth organizing to create more humanizing, engaging and empowering classrooms? Here are two examples that illustrate the possibilities youth organizing can offer for classroom teachers.
Grounding Learning in Students’ Lived Experiences
Youth organizing often begins with listening to young people talk about their peers about hopes, challenges and barriers they face. Then, leaders build campaigns around the shared experiences within the community.
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