The Grow Your Own Community Voices Project

• In Event: 29.015 - Pro Bono Education Research Service Projects (ERSPs): AERA's ERSP Initiative

Abstract

The goal of the GYO Community Voices Project is to collect a series of written testimonial portraits from GYO Illinois teachers to develop qualitative maps of unseen resources and strengths being invested in school and local geographic communities. The project is focused on lifting the voices of Teachers of Color to speak the truth about the ways in which they work to be change agents in their communities. Testimonies were developed through a community-based workshop series and featured on the Teacher Testimony Project website (http://teachertestimonyproject.com/). Empowered in a community of practice to share their testimonies, participants have presented their experiences at the International Conference on Urban Education and are working to develop the second iteration of the workshop series to be led by local aspiring and current Teachers of Color in the program.

Authors

• Conra D. Gist, University of Arkansas

• Fawn Pochel, GYI Illinois