BorderLands/La Frontera Literature Study: Engaging K-12 students with Racism, Community, and Local Issues

Austin Social Justice Teacher Inquiry Group

Do Borders protect? Do Borders divide?
Our journey across borders is diverse and wide.
Take a risk and join our border-crossing ride.
We will share our literature units, ideas, and tons of imagination.
This workshop covers a lot, from racism, identity, language, community-building and immigration.
Si se puede!
Is what we teachers say
because we cross borders every day.

Connecting the Dots with Current-Events: Activism Education Meets the Basics    

IndyKids

Do you want to talk about social justice issues in your classroom, but are afraid that you won’t have time to cover the basics? IndyKids, a progressive current-events newspaper for kids, will present innovative ideas from New York City public school teachers on how to integrate radical ideas into a curriculum that teaches reading, writing and literacy.

Creating Beautiful and Exceptional Minds: Medical Nutrition at its Best    

Iyabo Alabi-Isama M.D., Women Initiatives Now Inc.

Foods we ingest, including medications, are what cells in the human body use to sustain our physical and mental well being. Neuronal cells (brain cells) must be fed the best diets in order to receive, process and generate information. This presentation will focus on ways we can improve our diet in order to maximize our capacity to free our minds and consequently our people.  

Hip Hop as a tool for Liberation

TRUE Skool 

This talk and discussion will cover the foundation of Hip Hop culture and its uses in education and community/youth organizing. Hear about real sustainable solutions using the elements of Hip Hop and receive lesson plans showing its potential in the classroom. Youth will display posters highlighting the role of Hip Hop as a tool for educational liberation.

It is Not what it is

Youth Roots, Oakland Leaf

How many times have you heard the saying, “It is what it is,” where a situation or condition is accepted as fitting within the normal order of things? “It is NOT what it is” is about flippin the script on that.  It is a critical, interactive, multi-media, intertextual workshop led by East Oakland, California high school youth in a critical media and consciousness raising program called Youth Roots. 

Let’s Build a National Youth-led Movement!   

*Special Session*

Facilitators TBA

In this space youth will explore the idea of creating a national youth-led movement building and networking initiative. Come and share your ideas and vision about how to create a national youth network through which young people from all over the country can continue to work together, share resources, trainings, and best practices, organize youth conferences and join forces to build a movement for justice!

The Power Behind the Strategy: Youth Organizing 101  

*Special Session*

Hyde Square Task Force and Southside Together Organizing for Power (STOP)

This workshop will give participants an introduction to youth organizing, power analysis mapping and the process of developing a campaign strategy. Organizers from Hyde Square Task Force in Boston and STOP in Chicago will illustrate their techniques using recent campaigns around education, tenants’ rights and criminal justice. Participants will leave this workshop with concrete tools for developing powerful campaign strategies around their own issues.   

Those Who Control the Math Control the Outcome: Using Mathematics as a Lens for Understanding and Empowerment

Brad Kohl and Ryan Schultz, Breck School

MATH=TRUTH, right? But whose truth?  Do you want to manipulate the system or be manipulated by it?  Contribute your perspective to a variety of student social justice math projects and generate ideas on how to work math into your agenda.  Participate in hands-on activities and leave believing that the person who controls the math controls the outcome – and that person is you!   

Toward a Research Agenda--Informing Practice with Data

*Special Session*

Pauline Lipman, Howard Machtinger, Cassandra McKay, Charles Payne and Bree Picower

This session aims to develop a series of research agendas related to Education for Liberation. We will begin with a discussion of four areas of current research--the neo-liberal agenda, the psychology of oppression, the impact of liberatory education and teacher education for social justice. Then we will brainstorm future collaborations for researchers in these areas.   

We Just Want to Change the World: Teaching Toward Social Justice, Solidarity and Activism    

Keene State College and Spark Teacher Education Institute

This hands-on workshop will explore social justice education within the mandated curriculum.  Participants are invited to enter a dialogue regarding principles and models of critical pedagogy, both in PK-12 classrooms and in teacher education, including teaching and organizing for empowerment and activism on part of teachers and students alike.  

Youth Researchers for Social Justice Exchange and Strategy-Building

*Special Session*

Mestizo Arts & Activism and The Institute for Participatory Action Research & Design

All young people doing research or who are interested to learn about how to make change in your community are invited to participate. Come meet, share, brainstorm, and build connections with other youth researchers from around the country. This will be an opportunity to share ideas and exchange strategies for working towards change.