PFF Blog News- All About Youth Voice!

Charter Revisers Petitioned To Give Teens A Voice | New Haven Independent

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 14:31:00 +0000

As work began in earnest on revising New Haven’s foundational document, a petition began circulating to elevate the role of young people—by setting aside two seats on the Board of Ed for elected high school students.

Rachel Heerema, who runs the Citywide Youth Coalition, showed up to City Hall Tuesday night to submit that petition to the Board of Aldermen’s Charter Revision Commission as the group got down to business.

Charter Revisers Petitioned To Give Teens A Voice | New Haven Independent

Alternative Schools – The Big Mystery in CT Education, By Madelyn Colon

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:50:00 +0000

By Madelyn Colon
CTLatinoNews.com Political Columnist

They don’t always agree, there is, of course, the occasional turf war, personality issues, and the expected political power plays, but when it comes to our kids, the state’s Democratic Latino legislators aren’t playing politics. They’ve united on HB 6201, aimed at uncovering the mystery of the “off the radar” alternative schools in our state.

There are at least 10 of these schools; no, maybe it’s 50 of them, educating our Latino youth. Nobody really seems to know how many exist. Worse yet, nor do they know what curriculum they offer and how the students in them are faring.

That’s because the Connecticut Department of Education does not keep track of alternative schools. Basic reporting on information on the number of students that actually attend them, and measurement tools such as Strategic School Profiles that track student population, demographics, student performance, drop-out rates and student services provided, is not maintained for alternative schools. Currently, if a school district describes the alternative school as a “program” and not a “school,” it is not obligated to give the state any information. Apparently local school districts have taken advantage of that loophole.

Unbelievable as this may sound in this data driven age, legislators say they can’t even find out what kind of resources the state is providing to students, if any, in alternative schools for textbooks, computers, and decent classrooms. It is even unclear to them how these schools are funded unless they are an extension of a district school.

Any school district in the state can establish an alternative school to provide public education to high school students who are not functioning in a traditional classroom. State law also gives districts the authority to reassign students to alternative high schools, and the process usually involves a final ultimatum by a school administrator to the student that an alternative school is the last best option for a student to graduate.

Students “transferred out” to alternative schools are not succeeding in the traditional school environment. They may have behavioral problems, and many come from troubled homes. As long-term academic underachievers, they are at the very back of the education bus. When they go to school, they are often pegged as “troublemakers” or problem kids.

Alternative schools typically have high Latino student populations. Robert Cotto Jr., senior policy fellow for K-12 Education at CT Voices for Children, says, “We know that Latino, Black, and low-income children are more likely to leave or be ‘pushed out’ of high school before they graduate, and that these alternative schools serve a disproportionate number of them.”

Are Latino kids in alternative schools learning anything there? And more importantly, are they attending these schools voluntarily? We just don’t know.

A 2011 report on alternative and adult education in Connecticut Invisible Students: The Role of Alternative and Adult Education in the Connecticut School-to-Prison Pipeline, by A Better Way Foundation and Connecticut Pushout Research and Organizing Project, is highly critical of the way alternative schools are handled here. The report determined that “because there is no data collection or transparent reporting mechanism that makes information about alternative schools available, it becomes virtually impossible to hold schools publicly accountable even for attendance and truancy, much less academic growth, achievement and graduation.“

Latino legislators want to start with establishing a definition for an alternative school. The bill, HB 6201, introduced by state Rep. Jason Rojas, (D-9th), the state’s nine other Latino representatives and state Sen. Andres Ayala, (D-23rd), also calls for clarity on what these schools offer kids that have left the traditional classroom on basic academic rigor to be able to succeed. Co-sponsors include state Reps. Catherine F. Abercrombie, (D-83rd) House chair Human Services Committee; Toni E. Walker, (D-93rd) House chair Appropriations;
Charlie L. Stallworth, (D-126th) vice chair Human Services; and, Bruce V. Morris, (D-140th) vice chair Black and Latino caucus.

They also want to know about basics, like is parental consent involved before a student is “transferred out” to an alternative school. If there is no parent, does the student fully understand that he or she may never be welcomed back to a traditional classroom once they leave. Some reports of alternative schools that require that students only attend school for four hours and be allowed 20 percent of scheduled classes and still get credit for completion should also be addressed.

Laura McCargar, the author of the Invisible Students Report, says that “we must bring alternative education programs and adult education centers into the core of our conversations about high school reform. If we do not, we will undercut our own efforts by rendering thousands of Connecticut students invisible, quietly diverted into the secret pipeline.”

A secret pipeline that leads where? Most of us can imagine the bleak outcome that awaits them. These invisible students have a constitutional right to a free public education, instead of being warehoused in an off-site facility by local school districts with no safe guards from the state.

PFF Kicks off another PHOTO CONTEST.

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:24:00 +0000

Please contact Kelly Weldon at Kweldon@perrinfamilyfoundation for the release form and details.

Learning About Injustice Through Theatre

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 19:56:00 +0000

Several of our grantees from around the state spent the past weekend learning new techniques and strategies for engaging young people in deep conversations about their own experiences with injustice and oppression. See the update below from Kat Vollano of Hartford Food Systems who attended a workshop on Theatre of the Oppressed organized by the New Haven Leon Sister City Project.

Being in a room of people advocating and supporting youth development and social change is a powerful experience. This was precisely what Sunday, February 2^nd delivered to a passionate group of youth workers, social justice advocates, theatre of the oppressed facilitators, and youth. Meeting in the brightly colored space of the Bregamos Community Theatre in New Haven, those who had spent the weekend training with Theatre of the Oppressed provided participants with the experience of learning interactive group games as a creative way to approach social justice issues with youth. While jumping, clapping, laughing, and being uniquely ourselves, we were really deepening our understanding of personal injustice by acting out situations when we experienced pain, despair, anger, and hopelessness. After only spending two hours with Theatre of the Oppressed, I know this is a powerful way to change our communities. I am truly excited to use these activities with my youth group.

"Staff were amazed and thankful that teens came to speak about violence that surrounds them at their school and communities

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 20:20:00 +0000

Reflections from BCAC's community forum on violence.....

"The meeting went very well. First, we all sat together to feel comfortable then when the meeting began we had each teen go to a table to sit with parents and leaders to share their voice and opinions. Most parents made the teens the "reporter" which gave them the opportunity to publicly speak what their table had discussed. It was an amazing experience and they enjoyed it. They felt their voice and opinions were important and counted for. I took several pictures which will be sending soon. All the parents, leaders and BCAC staff were amazed and thankful that teens came to speak about violence that surrounds them at their school and communities. TLI received a warm welcome from BCAC's director. I believe we had 7 TLI teens that attended. They took several notes and will share their experience with their TLI and school peers. Teen facilitator Sal Hanaif was present as well as other PLTI parents."

blog entry submitted by Rosa Hernandez, Director of PTLI/TLI

So nice to see youth invited to the table to discuss the issues that impact them on a daily basis.

Given the opportunity, the young people will take on leadership roles.

Shared from the the Chronicle of Philanthropy...

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:04:00 +0000

How the NAACP Activates Young People for Advocacy

January 14, 2013, 9:10 am

By Cody Switzer

Benjamin Jealous, chief executive of the NAACP, says advocacy organizations too often ignore young people—missing an opportunity to inspire the very supporters who might become most active in promoting a cause.

But Mr. Jealous says his organization has decided to make young people a priority, in part by asking them what they are most passionate about changing in the world and showing them how they can channel frustration about what’s wrong into positive action.

“Listen to them first, find out what they are really angry about, and then say, ‘This is how we turn it outward, and we actually overcome that issue,’” Mr. Jealous says.

In this video, Mr. Jealous talks about how his organization has mobilized young people to protest criminal-justice policies that focus on putting people in prison and explains how other groups can borrow techniques that have helped the NAACP increase its number of young members.

Inspired by this Exciting News! Check Out These Websites to see Youth Led Social Change Programs in NYC!

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:01:00 +0000

Cricket Island Foundation Awards $420,000 in Grants to Youth-led Social Change Organizations in New York City

New York, NY (January 22, 2013)—Today, the Cricket Island Foundation announced its newest cohort of seven grantee partners, all of which are youth-led social change organizations based in New York City. The Foundation will award general operating support grants to each organization for up to eight years to enable them to focus on capacity building and organizational development.

After completing a rigorous multi-stage application process, the grantees were selected based on their strong commitments to youth-led social change, grassroots community leadership, and organizational development. Each group will receive a grant averaging 20% of their operating budget, for an average grant size of $60,000 per year over the next three years. Grantees will then have an opportunity to renew funding for an additional five years, bringing the total commitment to building the field of youth-led social change work in New York to over $2.1mm. These awards may be supplemented through the Foundation’s small grants program, which provides annual grants of $3,000-$8,000 for capacity building, learning opportunities, and other organizational development projects.

While the grantees are diverse in their sizes, constituencies, and overall missions, all have excelled in their work in youth leadership development, advocacy and policy reform, and collaborating with young people to identify and create solutions for issues in their communities. The Foundation hopes that through their long-term partnership, the grantees will establish a learning community that will strengthen both their respective organizations and the field of youth-led social change.

“At a moment when social change organizations are struggling with new economic realities, the Foundation recognized the need for longer term investments which focused not on programmatic outcomes, but on strengthening organizations so they could, in turn, deepen their impact and continue to lead critical organizing and advocacy work. We see these organizations as anchors in their communities and leaders in the field of youth-led organizing,” says Elizabeth Sak, Cricket Island Foundation’s Executive Director. “We believe by strengthening these groups we are helping build the field.”

The grant recipients are as follows:

Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM)

DRUM is a multi-generational, membership-led organization of 1400 low-wage South Asian immigrant workers, youth, and families organizing to win workers’ rights, legalization, access to education, and services. The organization’s youth program, YouthPower!, builds the power of low-income South Asian and Muslim immigrant youth, and is currently working with the Immigrant Safe Zones Campaign, Dignity in Schools Campaign, and National Campaign for Quality Education. www.drumnyc.org

Fabulous Independent Educated Radicals for Community Empowerment (FIERCE)

FIERCE was founded on the principle that LGBTQ youth must realize and manifest their own social and political power to change their conditions, shape their futures, and become effective agents of change in their communities. The organization engages LGBTQ youth of color who are low income, at risk, and/or homeless in community organizing and collective action through leadership development and base-building. FIERCE focuses specifically on changing issues facing LGBTQ youth of color, such as gentrification, discriminatory policing, and access to housing and social services. www.fiercenyc.org

Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project

Flanbwayan aims to enable Haitian newcomer students to play a more active role in their education, and to advocate for better education opportunities and outcomes for immigrant students. The organization’s youth programs focus on improving academic achievement, developing leadership skills, and supporting newcomer youth in learning about their new communities and environment. www.flanbwayan.org

Make the Road New York (MRNY)

MRNY is a multi-service organization that builds the power of Latino and working class communities to achieve dignity and justice through organizing, policy innovation, transformative education and survival services. The organization’s Youth Power Program provides a combination of community organizing and academic support its youth membership. Their current campaigns focus on education reform, police accountability, and passage of the New York DREAM Act and DREAM Fund. www.maketheroad.org

Mekong NYC

Mekong NYC is a community-based organization that aims to improve quality of life for the Southeast Asian community in the Bronx and throughout New York City through community organizing and healing. The organization has a multigenerational leadership approach, and serves its community by promoting traditional arts and cultural practices, and advocating for and increasing access to essential social services. www.mekongnyc.org

Sistas and Brothas United (SBU)

SBU, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition’s (NWBCCC) youth organization, is a grassroots, membership-led organization of low- and moderate-income teenagers and high school students in the Bronx. The organization is currently working to change New York City Department of Education policies to ensure that all students have access to a quality education that is both challenging and dignified. www.sistasandbrothasunited.org

Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice (YMPJ)

YMPJ is a community-based organization that aims to rebuild the Bronx River and Soundview/Bruckner neighborhoods in the South Bronx by preparing young people to become prophetic voices for peace and justice. YMPJ’s youth leaders are dedicated to making positive changes in their communities through campaigns focused on environmental justice, education reform, and public safety. www.ympj.org

About Cricket Island Foundation

Cricket Island Foundation is a family foundation representing three generations. Founded in 2001, its mission is to develop the capacity and commitment of young people to improve their lives and communities, as well as the world around them. Recognizing that organizations need time and support to become stronger and more sustainable, in 2005 the Foundation began providing long-term general operating support to critical, yet under-funded, organizations that offer meaningful opportunities for youth to contribute to positive societal change. Additionally, though the Foundation provides funding nationwide, it made a strategic decision in 2008 to focus regionally in order to develop local organizations, build partnerships with and among grantees, and promote collaborations with local funders. For more information, please visit www.cricketisland.org.

The one thing I'd change - Houston students become shareholders in school reform

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:49:00 +0000

If I ran the schools . . .
"I would implement a program where students actually have chances to build relationships with teachers." – Craig
"I'd make sure that all schools have an advisory program. And I would have a service-learning component. Once a week I would put kids on a bus and send them out into the community to get involved. When a student is connected to their learning and connected to the world, they care." – Micaela
"I would stop the budget cutting. In our school alone, we lost 13 teachers. It makes a lot of students think, 'What's next?' I worry about our fine arts programs. I’m involved in band. It makes me want to go to school." – Ashley
"l'd make every high school like the one I attend. At my school, we learn by doing packets, and our teachers are like college professors. We don't have individual classrooms, where it’s just sophomores or freshmen, and we have a lot of college credit opportunities."
"I would have teachers and staff do more to approach parents." - Bricio
"If I were to change the schools, I would make schools way smaller." -Jessica
"I'd add a distance learning component." - Tonya
"If I ran the school, or any of my peers, the one thing I wouldn not change would be the diversity. I think I speak for all Alief high schools—Kerr, Elsik, Taylor, and Hastings: we live off the diversity."
Excerpted from American Leadership Forum-Houston video: "If Kids Ran the Schools."

STORY LINKS
Full Interview with Jesse, senior, Kerr High School (PDF)
If Kids Ran the School Campus Initiatives (PDF)
For more information on the "One Thing" protocol, contactinfo@whatkidscando.org

SEE ALSO
WKCD's Special Collection: Student and Youth Voice: Asking, Listening, and Taking Action.
(filled with student voice tools, projects, books, media, and stories)

The one thing I'd change - Houston students become shareholders in school reform

Below is a powerful and moving video showing Newtown students making the Sandy Hook Promise. Two students from Newtown High created the video. Make Your Own "Sandy Hook Promise"

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:29:00 +0000

Condolences to the Newtown Community

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:45:00 +0000

The family and staff at Perrin Family Foundation would like to express our deep sadness over the recent deaths of Newtown school personnel and students. We give our condolences to the families who have lost loved ones and to the whole community which has endured such tragedy. Everyone is in our hearts and prayers.

Sheila Perrin

Free Minds, Free People Conference Accepting Proposals

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:27:00 +0000

Free Minds, Free People is a national conference presented by the Education for Liberation Network that brings together teachers, high school and college students, researchers, parents and community-based activists/educators from across the country to build a movement to develop and promote education as a tool for liberation.

The 2013 conference will be held in Chicago from July 11-14, 2013. Free Minds, Free People is an energizing and inspiring space that brings together groups that do not usually have an opportunity to interact so they can share experiences and build solutions together.

Free Minds, Free People is currently seeking proposals to present work addressing a range of education justice issues. Proposals must be submitted by January 25, 2013. To learn how to submit a proposal click here.

Laura McCargar's First of Many "Resource Roundup"

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 14:57:00 +0000

Youth Voice

Getting Started with Youth Voice...

The Freechild Project: An online resource hub that has a wealth of information about youth voice and engagement strategies.
The Washington Youth Voice Handbook, Common Action: A how-to many that provides an overview of youth voice, self-assessment tools, and includes 20+ workshops to help train staff/youth and develop organizational capacity around youth voice.

Assessing Youth Voice and Engagement in your Organization

Youth in Decisionmaking Organizational Assessment, Youth on Board
Youth Involvement Checklist, The Thrive Foundation
Are We There Yet? Community Youth Connection
Organizational Support for Youth Engagement, Community Youth Connection

Youth-Adult Partnerships and Collective Leadership

Being Y-AP Saavy: A Primer on Creating and Sustaining Youth Adult Partnerships, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Youth- Adult Partnerships: A Training Manual, The Innovation Center
Collective Leadership Works: Preparing Youth and Adults for Community Change, Innovation Center
The Collective Leadership Framework: A Workbook for Cultivating and Sustaining Community Change, William K. Kellogg Foundation

Youth Participatory Evaluation

Facilitator’s Guide for Participatory Evaluation with Young People
Reflect and Improve: A Toolkit for Engaging Youth and Adults As Partners in Program Evaluation, The Innovation Center
Youth Adult Partnerships in Evaluation: A Resource Guide for Translating Research Into Practice, Cornell University
A Practical Guide for Program Assessment and Action Planning, Community Youth Connection

Making the Case: Data on The Impacts of Youth Engagement in Decisionmaking

At The Table: Making the Case for Youth in Decision-making, The Innovation Center
Youth in Decisionmaking: A Study on the Impacts of Youth on Adults and Organizations, The Innovation Center

Interested in Participatory Action Research?

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:20:00 +0000

The City University of New York is offering an intensive 5-day summer institute on Critical Participatory Action Research (PAR). The Institute, which takes place June 3-7 2013, is designed to introduce the theory, methods and ethics of PAR to students and community organizations. Participants will engage in seminars, roundtables and hands-on workshops with experienced PAR researchers in order to gain skills and knowledge for integrating PAR in their research and organizing work. To learn more about the CUNY's PAR Institute and how to apply, click here.

SOUL Offers National Youth Organizing Training Institute

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:19:00 +0000

The School of Unity and Liberation (SOUL) is running a National Youth Organizing Training Institute March 7-9, 2013. The training will be held in Oakland, California. SOUL requires that interested organizations submit a registration application by January 18, 2013.

In the training, participants will come together to build their skills, exchange lessons learned, and strategize to fight and win justice for our communities. We'll develop a solid and systematic orientation to the fundamentals of organizing, including base-building, campaign strategy, and leadership development. Rooted in current youth struggles, the INSTITUTE will provide a unique space for emerging leaders to engage with the challenges and opportunities of the current moment, to advance our organizations and to build a stronger movement.

Click here for more information.

Engaging Youth for Community Change

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 12:44:00 +0000

Reposted:

Engaging Youth for Community Change

Leaders all over the country see the importance of engaging young people in community change, but they're not sure how to do it well. Nashville, Tenn., knows how - and a new case study tells the story.

Nashville created a Child and Youth Master Plan that isn't just about young people - it reflects the ideas of young people. The city's youth were brought in from the start to frame, build and implement the plan, which serves as a blueprint for revamping youth services and supports throughout the region.

This four-page case study examines the role played by youth, from serving on task forces and facilitating meetings to crunching data and producing recommendations.

Youth as partners in evaluation -- an idea that is catching on : Youth Development Insight : University of Minnesota Extension

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:58:00 +0000

The American Evaluation Association (AEA) is holding its annual meeting in Minneapolis this week. AEA's new Youth Focused Evaluation Topical Interest Group (YFE TIG) launches with an impressive series of sessions devoted to evaluation about youth, for youth and with youth. It is exciting to see all the evaluation and research that is being done in partnership with young people. For me, these sessions underscore the potential benefits and barriers to engaging youth in evaluation. As with other forms of participatory and action research, including youth in the process can: View the entire entry: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/extyouth/insight/2012/10/benefits-and-barriers-to-engaging-youth-in-evaluation.php

Youth as partners in evaluation -- an idea that is catching on : Youth Development Insight : University of Minnesota Extension

“Organizing in a way that produces meaningful change is a daunting task for even the most visionary and experienced leaders,” Long said. “We are walking away from this experience with practical strategies to move us from focusing on individual programs to considering the systems and environments that our young people exist within.”

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:21:00 +0000

“Local officials can help their communities see the ‘big picture’ as they advance holistic approaches for supporting children and youth,” said Clifford M. Johnson, executive director of the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education and Families. “Ready by 21 strategies can offer critical guidance to these efforts and help local officials improve the lives of young people throughout Tennessee.”

To ask the Forum about carrying out a Ready by 21 Challenge in your state, contact Elizabeth Gaines at Elizabeth@forumfyi.org.

read more about this exciting opportunity that is free for the asking!

Tennessee Leaders Gather Tools to Get Youth Ready | Ready By 21

Okay all you amazing young people here in Connecticut ... let's ask for this in our state! Just click on the email above.

Youth in Policy: Civics2

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 12:06:00 +0000

Many times we are asked for examples of youth organizing for social change. Here are a few!

What Kids Can Do

PROVIDENCE, RI—Youth civic engagement takes many forms, from volunteering in a soup kitchen to starting a nonprofit organization to the Fall of 2011 "Occupy" movement. Our nation’s young people are much more civic-minded than tags like “Generation Me” suggest—and increasingly more vocal.

For the 2008 Presidential Election, WKCD hired the young journalists at the youth-led news bureau Y-Press to produce a series of articles, media pieces, and resources that followed the involvement of youth from the 2008 primary season through the fall election. We called it "Youth on the Trail." Y-Press will do the same for the 2012 Presidential Election.

Here we provide several feature stories and case studies by WKCD that showcase young people raising their voices around local issues, from pushing a school district to prepare all students for college to fighting cuts in public transportation. We also share a collection of articles and profiles by the youth-led news bureau Y-Press that address youth participation nationwide, in policy arenas such as the environment, health care, and public education.

In 2010, our work in this area prompted us to launch a new website called The Center for Youth Policy and Practice @ WKCD.

WKCD STORIES

Our Schools, Our Future: San Francisco Youth Campaign for Equitable College Access
It’s lunchtime at Balboa High School, once one of San Francisco’s most troubled schools but now on the rebound. Twenty-five students grab a sandwich and a seat, in good spirits on one of the last days of school. They are all members of Youth Making a Change (YMAC), a veteran youth organizing program in San Francisco. In six hours, the San Francisco Board of Education will vote on a policy these students have fought for all year long: to make the “A through G” course curriculum, required for admission to California’s state universities and colleges, the default curriculum for all students in the San Francisco Unified School District.

Political Power: Chicago’s Mikva Challenge Gets Youth Involved in Politics, Policymaking
http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/2009/01_Mikva/index.html
A few days after Barack Obama’s election, a group of Chicago youth gathers on the campus of DePaul University, excitedly discussing their plans to improve the city’s policies toward youth violence. They are not a college activist organization—rather, these high schoolers are part of the Mikva Challenge’s Youth Safety Council, an initiative designed to give Chicago’s teens a voice in a policy discussion that profoundly impacts their daily lives.

See full article by clicking on link below. Sign up for emails!

What Kids Can Do

Two Approaches to Leadership: “Shared Leadership” vs. Traditional Leadership by Professor Glenn Omatsu

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:34:00 +0000

In a roomful of 30 to 40 college students, how many would consider
themselves leaders? If we were to ask them directly, only a handful would
answer affirmatively. However, what would happen if we were to ask this
same group a slightly different question: “How many of you are able to
work well with others and get things done together?” Probably most would
raise their hands.
What’s going on here?
Like most other Americans, students today have a stereotyped image of what
constitutes a leader, and this stereotype is anchored in a concept of
leadership that emerged over the past few centuries mainly in the Western
world. According to this traditional approach, a leader is a strong and
powerful individual — someone who makes decisions, commands many
others, and speaks with charisma. A leader is the rare human being who
embodies special qualities only rarely found in one person; in fact, from this
very definition, most human beings are seen as followers and not leaders.
Almost always, this image of a leader is that of an older male, and usually it
is associated with CEOs in corporations, the U.S. President, and generals in
the U.S. military. Not surprisingly, leaders in all these institutions are older
men and overwhelmingly white. Could this concept of leadership be related
to patriarchy, racism, and colonialism that have been among the defining
(and often hidden) features of the Western world?

Of course, in reality, even in today’s corporations, the U.S. Presidency, and
the military, leadership does not revolve around a single executive. In even
these highly patriarchal institutions, leadership is based on teamwork. A
general, a CEO, and even a U.S. President become effective leaders only if
they are able to work well with others. Crises in leadership in these
institutions usually reflect breakdowns in the capacity to work together, and
leadership is defined as the ability of people to coordinate their work and
meld disparate skills. Thus, within even the most patriarchal institutions in
the modern world, the best leaders are those who have the ability toassemble a team consisting of people with different talents; the days are long
past when a leader is seen as one individual embodying multiple qualities
associated with leadership.
Why has this shift in thinking about leadership occurred in the most
powerful institutions symbolizing Western society? The short answer is that
today’s world is much more different and complex than the world of the
seventeen, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. Corporations and
businesses are no longer led by “captains of industry” who manage assembly
lines; wars are no longer always fought on battlefields requiring standing
armies; and U.S. Presidents and other world leaders cannot simply make
individual decisions — they must solicit and weigh the advice of hundreds
of people and ponder the consequences of each policy for tens of millions
around the world.
There is also a longer answer to our question. For the past several centuries,
grassroots movements in every part of the globe have advanced democracy,
expanded human rights, and challenged Western ideologies based on
patriarchy, racism, and colonialism. In other words, grassroots movements
for social justice have also reshaped our thinking about leadership by
developing a different model that stands in opposition to the traditional
model. We can call this new grassroots model “Shared Leadership.” In
many ways, it is not new since it draws from the ideas of leadership that
have long existed among indigenous peoples around the world, in societies
and cultures that have not been dominated by patriarchy, in immigrant
communities in Western nations, in national liberation movements across the
globe, and from the work of grassroots community groups and NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) fighting for social justice. What is new about
the model of “Shared Leadership” is the way that innovative thinkers have
adapted these historical legacies to respond to the special challenges facing
people in the twenty-first century, a world of complexity and
interconnectedness and where the very survival of the human species will
depend or our capacity to work together and not destroy ourselves.
At the grassroots level of community groups — and increasingly in
corporations — the quality of leadership that is most treasured is what we
can call “shared leadership.” Shared leadership is the ability of a person to
work well with others — as part of a team. Shared leadership requires
strengths and abilities not normally associated with the patriarchal version of
leadership: the capacity for nurturing others and bringing out their besttalents, the ability to mediate conflict, the quality to both express empathy
and compassion for others and educate others about the importance of these
feelings, and the talent for encouraging different viewpoints while upholding
one’s core values and principles. Shared leadership is based on a
commitment to dignity, equality, democracy, and transformation in human
beings. Thus, shared leadership is closely associated with grassroots
movements for social justice around the world.
Some have defined shared leadership as the vision of leadership needed for
the twenty-first century. In fact, as mentioned at the very beginning of this
booklet, both staff at community organizations and personnel managers of
both big and small companies now identify shared leadership as the number
one quality that they look for in college graduates that they hire. They have
come to redefine leadership in terms of the capacity of an individual to work
together with others. In other words, even in corporations — the bastion of
the Western world — leadership is now conceptualized as embedded in an
individual’s ability to work well with others to get things done.
Yet, even though thinking about leadership has begun to shift in even the
most patriarchal institutions of Western society, the traditional notion of
leadership continues to influence popular thinking. Thus, most students
today do not consider themselves leaders — even when they possess skills to
work well with others. Why is this happening?
It’s not unusual for old ideas to continue to influence society even when they
have outlived usefulness. But with the concept of leadership, something else
is happening that makes acceptance of new ideas difficult. In Western
societies, thinking tends to be dualistic — as “either-or” thinking — and
people are taught to think dualistically from an early age. A person is either
a leader or a follower, and certainly not both. Similarly, it’s hard for people
raised in Western cultures to conceptualize shared leadership since there has
been so much emphasis on seeing only certain qualities (e.g., command
functions, decision-making, charisma, etc.) associated with leadership, while
other important qualities (e.g., nurturing, mediation of conflict, etc.) are not.
Thus, to embrace the new model of shared leadership, it is not enough to
reject old ideas. It is also essential to constantly recognize the ways that
many different leadership styles exist within a group and that all members
contribute to the leadership of the group. For student groups especially, it is
critical for people to hold frequent discussions to build consciousness amongall members of the leadership strengths and styles of each person. As we
will see in the next section of this booklet, these discussions are the
foundation for leadership development for students during their formative
college years.
In this resource booklet, we are exploring the importance of shared
leadership and focus on ways that students can develop skills related to this
vision, so that they can be of service to others, both on campus and in our
communities.

More here http://www.csun.edu/eop/htdocs/leadership_booklet.pdf

Faculty Mentor Program
Professor Glenn Omatsu, Coordinator
California State University, Northridge
c/o Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)
205 University Hall
(818) 677-4151

Are you a middle or high school student dedicated to preventing LGBT-related bullying/harassment at your school?

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:40:00 +0000

Do you know any students who are determined to make their school a more inclusive and equitable place for LGBT students of color and their allies?

Apply now to join our chapter’s Student Organizing (Student Org.) Team!

Join GLSEN Connecticut’s Student Org. Team and organize for respectful and inclusive learning environments for ALL students, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.

To be eligible for the Student Org. Team, which includes the Jump-Start Student Leadership Team and Students of Color Organizing (SOCO) Team, applicants must be enrolled in a Gr. 6-12 school.

To learn more and apply, please visit our Student Org. Team page on our chapter’s website, www.glsen.org/connecticut. For any general questions, please e-mail JSconnecticut@chapters.glsen.org.

Applications are due by October 15, 2012.

Our team is comprised of our Jump-Start Student Leadership Team, which will focus this year on addressing safe schools issues affecting middle school students, and the Student of Color Organizing (SOCO) Team, which will be creating a website providing support and resources to LGBT students of color and their allies. Applications are available on our chapter's website, www.glsen.org/connecticut, and are due Oct. 15. For more information, please refer to our website and click on "Join Our Student Organizing Team."

Our chapter is holding three events to aid in our team's recruitment efforts, the most important being our Open House at the New Haven Pride Center on Sat., Oct. 6, 11am-3:30pm.

1. OPEN HOUSE (IN-PERSON) Want to meet some of our current and former Jump-Start Team Student Leaders and learn more about our coalition? Please join us on Saturday, Oct. 6, 11am-3:30pm, at the New Haven Pride Center, 14 Gilbert Street in West Havenfor a fun and interactive informational session with plenty of FREE food and giveaways. Please RSVP to JSconnecticut@chapters.glsen.org if you're interested in attending this event.

2. OPEN HOUSES (VIRTUAL) Please join us for a one-hour informational phone/web-based session on Jump-Start and SOCO on Sunday, Sept. 30, 8-9pm, and Sunday, Oct. 14, 8-9pm. You will be able to speak with current and former Jump-Start team members and participate in a lively Q & A session. If you would like to attend one of these virtual open houses, please RSVP to JSconnecticut@chapters.glsen.orgat least 2 days or 48 hours before each call.

New Program in NORWALK that will "inspire critical thinking, skills development, and activism by African American youth to choose the road away from prison and jail and towards a quality education."

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:09:00 +0000

For Immediate Release – September 21, 2012

Contact:

A. Ray Dancy

(203) 855-7901

save@nafj.org

SAVE SELECT AS SOLE Connecticut Agency

for Multi-State Mentoring Initiative

The National Alliance of Faith and Justice (NAFJ), a Washington, DC based organization, has selected Serving All Vessels Equally (S.A.V.E.) in Norwalk, Connecticut as the National Demonstration site for the PEN OR PENCIL: WRITING A NEW HISTORY initiative on mentoring.
PEN OR PENCIL^™was founded in 2005 by the National Alliance of Faith and Justice as its signature program whichblends history, social studies, civic education, economic, and service learning standards into an experiential learning framework to inspire critical thinking, skills development, and activism by African American youth to choose the road away from prison and jail and towards a quality education.

S.A.V.E. (www.saveinc.org) will work in collaboration with the National CARES Mentoring Movement, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom and the Association of Black Psychologists, Inc. to build the capacity to sustain and strengthen PEN OR PENCIL in Connecticut by implementing a 12-month mentoring framework. Cities that are also participating in the Multi-state Department of Justice (DOJ) Mentoring Initiative along with Norwalk include Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Birmingham, Atlanta, Washington Metro DC, Project Village (Louisiana, St. Louis, and Kansas City), High Point North Carolina, Trinity (North Chicago) and Los Angeles, California.

"Plans are being developed to work closely with the Richard C. Briggs High School, as well as the unified school district at the Bridgeport Juvenile Detention Center," says Rev. A. Ray Dancy, S.A.V.E., executive director. "This demonstration effort is a critical step in filling the void for a culturally appropriate, ethnically empowering and quality mentoring experience that can be replicated nationwide by schools, in community and faith settings, and through corporate partnerships.”
PEN OR PENCIL is endorsed by the National Council for Social Studies for its academic approach and is sited by the White House as one of the leading mentoring networks in the country. The program is recognized by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education and the National Disability Rights Network as a rapidly evolving approach for promoting educational success and reducing delinquency which combines elements of effective mentoring practice with positive youth development as a foundation for understanding/applying civil and human rights to respect for law.
It is also acknowledged as meeting the needs of youth exposed to the juvenile justice system by the National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth who are neglected, delinquent, and at-risk.
For more information you can visit www.penorpencilmovement.org.

Laura McCargar presenting at the Connecticut After School Network Conference November 3rd!

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 14:01:00 +0000

Connecticut After School Network
2012
Fall Conference
The Power of After School and the
Future of Learning

November 3, 2012
Farmington Marriott
Farmington, CT

Youth Voice and Social Change
Laura McCargar, Program Officer, Perrin Family Foundation
What is the dynamic relationship between youth voice and social change? All too often, young
people's voices are often at the margins of conversations about what youth need and what youth want
- in their schools, in the programs they participate in, and in their communities. In this session,
participants will explore concrete ways to embrace youth voice at a programmatic, organizational,
and community level and learn about the unique developmental competencies young people gain
when they have the opportunities to act as decision-makers and contribute to community change
efforts.

Youth Organizing for Education Change | Ready By 21

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 12:53:00 +0000

Should young people be considered actors in school change, or simply the recipients of changed schools? Growing evidence and our own experience in the field suggest the former. Youth-led efforts to create change in schools, districts and education policy are on the rise. Youth Organizing for Educational Change features brief case studies of seven youth organizing efforts across the United States that we hope will inform, instruct and inspire.

They show what can happen when adults create the expectations that young people be both informed educational consumers and engaged changed-makers. As momentum spreads for community leaders to organize for collective impact to improve youth outcomes, it is imperative that we not just invite but expect and support young people’s participation as learners and leaders.

Click below to find report to download

Youth Organizing for Education Change | Ready By 21

Thank You CT Mirror- as you bring together those who study the gap and those most affected by it - Connecticut students and teachers.

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:37:00 +0000

CT Mirror's Education Forum: Achievement Gap

Where:

Hartford Public Library
500 Main Street
Hartford, CT 06103

Driving Directions

When:
Monday October 22, 2012 from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM EDT
Add to my calendar

The Connecticut Mirror presents its

Second Education Forum

Perspectives on Connecticut's Achievement Gap

SAVE THE DATE

- Monday, October 22 -

The forum will address the academic achievement gap that has plagued Connecticut policymakers for decades, and will bring together those who study the gap and those most affected by it - Connecticut students and teachers.

We are pleased to announce in advance the keynote speaker will be the renowned Attorney John C. Brittain, now a law professor in Washington, and the man behind Connecticut's landmark Sheff v. O'Neill lawsuit.

The event will also include a panel of students from schools around the state. These students began their academic lives under the cloud of the achievement gap - and all of its limitations. We want to hear their voices.

Stay tuned for more event details and full agenda.

This program is made possible by support from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Get more information

Register Now...Limited Seating!

The state of Civic Health and Engagement in Connecticut is very different, depending on town, race and income level.

noreply@blogger.com (Perrin Family Foundation) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:24:00 +0000

New Haven Votes Coalition Presents:
Two Connecticuts

The state of Civic Health and Engagement in Connecticut is very different, depending on town,
race and income level.

For more information: (860) 549-1220 or khynes@commoncause.org

October 4th, 2012 at 6 PM
The People’s Center
37 Howe St, New Haven

For more information: (860) 549-1220 or khynes@commoncause.org

Join us for a forum on civic engagement levels in Connecticut. High levels of civic engagement are
associated with better quality of life in communities.

How can we work toward equalizing civic engagement in Connecticut?

The panel will discuss what causes the varying levels of civic engagement in our state and how to
increase civic participation in disenfranchised communities.

Invited Speakers:
Amos Smith, CAANH
Orlando Rodriguez, CT Voices for
Children
Mongi Dhaouadi, CAIR
Jaime Myers-McPhail, CCNE
Lee Cruz, Community Foundation
for Greater New Haven
Bonita Grubbs,
Christian Community Action