Last year, I became quite fond of a club.Seeking Social Justice, or SSJ. I was able to go around, presenting workshops and facilitating discussions in my school. I was making change, or I'd like to think that I am. However, the people who were the real core of the program were all graduating, taking their skills elsewhere. So I chose to step up, take on a co-leadership role with our school librarian, Meg. My motivation for this is that students need an outlet for their voices, somewhere they can go that hears their problems and sees to them getting fixed. What does it mean to be a leader?The main question for this aspect of my Pilot project. In SSJ, I was sort of self-appointed. And usually self-appointed leaders turn out to be dictators. Didn't really want that. I have a complementary commitment to this position, working as a youth organizer at Outright Vermont. The adults at Outright have a leading style that is aspirational. But it's reasonable to think that people lead differently and they can all still be good.
|
This is a really old photo, from 2021 I think. Pride flag raising at school, which was an SSJ-sponsored event.
|
Working with Outright
This quarter (Q3), my work in the community with Outright really ramped up. We executed a training on Act 1, Leadership Day online (where I co-facilitated a workshop with Jayy, an adult staff member), as well as helped emcee the event. Finally, I helped lead a workshop with a few fellow youth organizers on the history of gender at the Education Justice Coalition.
ZINES:
These zines were made in Canva using a template which I created. My process would include doing a lot of research, fact checking and editing in a regular document, because all of the text is pasted sideways into the Canva template. Once the online draft is finished, I would get them printed out, and I'd carefully fold and cut each one by hand. I would estimate I have folded over 100 zines this quarter.
This quarter (Q3), my work in the community with Outright really ramped up. We executed a training on Act 1, Leadership Day online (where I co-facilitated a workshop with Jayy, an adult staff member), as well as helped emcee the event. Finally, I helped lead a workshop with a few fellow youth organizers on the history of gender at the Education Justice Coalition.
ZINES:
These zines were made in Canva using a template which I created. My process would include doing a lot of research, fact checking and editing in a regular document, because all of the text is pasted sideways into the Canva template. Once the online draft is finished, I would get them printed out, and I'd carefully fold and cut each one by hand. I would estimate I have folded over 100 zines this quarter.
This zine was made for GSA day for racial justice. Outright held a small zoom forum in which this zine was presented. It's all about Act 1 and the ethnic studies update to the education quality standards for Vermont.
|
A lot of adults have little to no idea what it means to be adultist. In late March, SSJ presented to a group of teachers from the Eastern US, at the School Reform in Action conference. I made this zine as a companion resource for that workshop. |
This zine was in conjunction with a walkout for Palestine on April 2nd. I spent the most time on this zine, because the world is pretty rampant with misinformation. It covers a brief history of the conflict and about Zionism. |
S1
I had a lot of ideas of what I wanted to see in SSJ this year. I didn't want the whole club to fizzle out before my eyes, I think I was very afraid of that. So I chose to start with a fairly achievable thing, a presentation for Outright's GSA conference. Of all the things that I had been working on, this is the hardest because I am really, really not good at it. In conjunction to this work, I have been working with Outright Vermont, a local group who supports queer youth. We talk a lot about our place inside organizing for change, and I self identified as someone who keeps everyone together, marching forward. I can send emails, I can make an agenda, I will do all that administrative work. I get worried that I am too controlling of the group, too.