For Students, By Students: Applications of Youth Leadership in Education Advocacy and Policy

• In Event: Youth as Our "Present Already": Youth-Led Spaces at the Center of Advocacy, Research, Practice, and Design

Abstract

Within the city of Philadelphia, addressing persistent and varying forms of violence both in and out of schools, youth-facing organizing must be led by the young people who whole those lived experiences. Finding its theoretical underpinnings in Black Queer feminist ideology (Love 2020), (Lorde 1984), (Shange 1976), (The Combahee River Collective Statement 1977), our organization has created the space for these individuals to not only join together and organize in a collective, but maintain and expand upon their individual agency across the education landscape. Our young people are not only the leaders of tomorrow, they are leading a movement today. Referencing the organizing of our collective, consisting of 12 student organizers, a board of adult members (ages 20-44), two consultants, and a youth-led newspaper: The organization and its structure finds its bearings in an empathetic practice centered around collective power.
Within our organization’s work, there exist multiple touchpoints for young people to get involved in the advocacy. With the most prominent example of youth centered work being the Fellowship program. The Fellow Program is a year-long fellowship for high school students interested in becoming more involved in education policy and activism. Fellows will meet throughout the month with communication and work in between meetings. At meetings, students will have the opportunity to learn from professionals across the field of education to increase their knowledge and understanding of the systems in power. Culminating in a self-selected advocacy project pertaining to a pertinent issue within the Philadelphia school district. Within this program, school workshops, and the team of stipend organizers, each moment presents the opportunity for young people to not only be asserted within spaces they may have not otherwise been welcomed or perceived as respected (i.e. within political spaces and amongst education administration).
While often disregarded, or characterized as higher risk within every domain (Most notably within the grant and policy sector), the organizing of young people remains impactful, vulnerable, and passionate. To examine the ways in which young people have navigated these spaces to ensure their own education and personal journey is one that is better resourced and safe opens up new possibilities for other organizations. The youth led nature is intrinsically counter-establishment and places care and protection as a pillar, yet not at the detriment of the organization's successful operation.

Authors

• Brandon A Archer, UrbEd, Inc.

• Risa Garg, UrbEd