Voice 21 UK’s Post

"Is hope, a teachable concept or a lived experience? Where does knowledge about hope actually come from? ... How can we organize understanding when hope is something so personal, intimate, and sometimes deeply and sensitively aligned with how we see and present ourselves to the outside world?" Four Fellows, Catalina Chacón , Sue Egersdorff , Barbara Bullard and Jack Davies all of whom attended the Salzburg Global Center for Education Transformation program "Civic and Civil Education: Identity, Belonging and Education in the 21st Century" reflect on the multifaceted nature of hope, emphasizing its role as a force for resilience and action, yet acknowledging the risks of false hope and despair. Follow the link below to read the full op-ed on how they propose using creative arts to facilitate open conversations about hope: https://ow.ly/WHhr50QCBS1

Calling all teachers and students! Have you heard of the NCTR's Imagine a Canada program? This is a micro-grant program that gives money to individual students or class groups who want to submit an idea for a project that shows what a reconciled Canada could look like. For individual students, there is an art and essay stream (also includes poetry!), and for class groups, it can really be anything your students come up with. For example, planting medicine gardens, painting murals, workshops led by Elders and Knowledge Keepers, etc, are all ideas that have been funded in the past. The deadline is coming up, so talk to your students! In the link, you can also browse past year's winning projects if you're looking for inspiration. This is open to students from kindergarten all the way up to Cégèp, so spread the word! Feel free to share this post! Imagine a Canada: https://lnkd.in/gve6SYV6

When my stepson came home from school with an Enid Blyton book in his backpack, I was instantly taken aback. As a black woman who advocates against racism and other hate crimes, and as a teacher, I couldn't believe that schools still stock her books despite the well-documented racism in her works. Initially, I felt a pang of nostalgia. I remembered my own childhood, devouring stories of the Famous 5 and the Secret 7, losing myself in tales of adventure and mystery. But that nostalgia quickly gave way to shock and disappointment. How could a school in 2024 still be introducing children to Blyton's work as if it were an uncontroversial piece of classic literature? Last year, English Heritage updated Blyton's blue plaque information to highlight the criticism she faced for her racist and xenophobic themes. This official acknowledgment underscores a broader societal recognition that her stories, while beloved by many, contain serious and harmful flaws. Yet here we are, with my stepson being exposed to these outdated and prejudiced worldviews. The issue isn't about offensive language or stereotypes that have been edited out in contemporary versions. It’s about the deeper, underlying messages that her books promote. These stories often reinforce a simplistic and exclusionary perspective, where adventure and heroism are reserved for white, middle-class children and characters of other races are marginalized or caricatured. The first time I truly understood the problematic aspects of her work wasn’t as a child but later as an adult. I realised that the innocent adventures were tinged with harmful prejudices. Educational institutions should be at the forefront of promoting critical thinking and inclusion, not distributing books without adequate context or discussion. By doing so, they implicitly endorse the outdated and harmful views contained within them. Schools have a responsibility to provide literature that reflects the diverse world we live in today, books that challenge prejudices rather than reinforce them. The availability of Blyton's books in school libraries sends a confusing message to children. It suggests that despite the progress we’ve made in recognising and addressing historical injustices, it's acceptable to overlook racism when it comes in the guise of beloved childhood classics. As someone who advocates for a more just society, it was crucial for me to address this issue head-on. Schools need to take an active role in curating their libraries and ensuring that the materials they offer align with the values of a modern, inclusive society. There are so many wonderful children’s authors today who tell stories filled with adventure, kindness, and diversity creating worlds where all children can see themselves as heroes, where differences are celebrated, and where empathy and understanding are central themes. Let’s offer our children literature that not only entertains but also educates and inspires them to build a more inclusive world.

Opinion For vital civics classes, the county is the wrong professor A county bid to teach civics is the right idea in the wrong venue. We do need civics classes, but the county is the wrong teacher. A vote this week would order Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to create an Academy for Civics Education, fund it, staff it, develop a curriculum, promote it, and have classes going by Dec. 1. #MiamiTodayNews #Opinion #MiamiDadeCounty https://lnkd.in/e8kgYiXZ

This is what love and connection embodies and it amplifies the commitment to connection the Core Collaborative Learning Network for the last 10 years. We are educators, artists, musicians, dancers, researchers, writers, principals, parents, friends and so much more. An asset-based worldview focuses on recognizing and leveraging the strengths, talents, and resources of individuals and communities. Instead of highlighting deficits or challenges, this perspective emphasizes potential, capabilities, and positive attributes, fostering self-empowerment and growth. lt encourages a shift from what is lacking to what is possible, promoting a more optimistic and constructive approach to development and problem-solving to strengthen our democracy. Seeing this pic of TCC restorative pratictioner, literacy coach and author, Vivett Dukes connecting with Solomon Masala and Benjie Howard from our Youth Equity Pathway collaborating with Victorville educators this week embodies our core values. Let's co-create schools for all of us by creating an intergenerational movement that puts strengths at the center. #youthequitystewardship #AmplifyVOICE #ImpactTeams #includeED

My second article!

#YouthVoiceWeek is finally here! Today's theme is Ensuring access to afterschool programs for all students. What ideas do the young people you work with have to share? #CYESS #Youthempowerment #STEM #civicengagement #Youthvoice

📚✨ Honoring Dr. King's legacy, NCL's third annual "National Day of Service" on January 15, 2024, united communities to tackle literacy issues head-on through a nationwide book drive. Together, we can make a difference! According to studies, almost 1 in 5 children aged 5-8 don't have a book at home (NLT). This is a stark reality, but our collective efforts brought in over 170,000 books, a 49% increase from last year! We're sparking a love of reading and empowering young minds because literacy matters. Did you know that 68% of U.S. fourth-graders are not proficient in reading? This percentage has increased from 66% in 2019, and studies have found that proficiency by fourth grade is linked to high school graduation. Let's rewrite this narrative and continue this journey of impact and empowerment! #NCLService #LiteracyMatters #MLKDay #UnityInService 🌟📖

Over the weekend, The New York Times published an editorial about how U.S. universities can regain public trust. One recommendation: "Schools ought to be teaching that there is as much #courage in listening as there is in speaking up." Music to the ears of Moral Courage College! Look, every democracy worth its name needs protestors. Yet protestors also need to know that sloganeering itself usually doesn't result in the intended change. Protest is most potent when accompanied by "relational" leadership -- relationship-building for the sake of trust-building. Which motivates the other party to listen because you've done it first. Consider #Canada's former prime minister, Brian Mulroney. He became crucial in ending #apartheid by convincing Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher to impose economic sanctions on South Africa. Mulroney spent a lot of his time cultivating personal bonds with people whom many Canadians hated. Reagan and Thatcher topped the list. Naturally, Mulroney took guff for his friendship with them. Yet those friendships allowed Canada to wield outsized influence when it mattered most. And not just on apartheid. Also on the #environment: By deepening his relationship with members of George H.W. Bush's administration, Mulroney got their surprising sign-off on the acid rain treaty -- an early milestone in the Global North's climate consciousness. Beauty is, you don't have to be a geopolitical baller to make a difference through relational leadership. You can be a grassroots advocate. The added beauty is, you don't have to abandon protest. You can passionately march *and* meaningfully engage. That's what the forthcoming Moral Courage documentary, "Mississippi Turning," will show: that a both-and approach to change can liberate possibilities otherwise trapped in the either/or cage. #Mississippi Turning will be released this fall, but if you want to see it sooner, join me for a screening on Thursday, May 16, at 1 pm ET. More info below.👇🏽 Register for free: https://lnkd.in/gYuGPBZT Genesis Be Allison Gerrard Cato Institute Sphere Education Initiatives John Snoad Allan Carey

“The sole purpose of civic education is to engage people democratically, to help them become democratic citizens on different levels of their community life.” While knowledge and skills are essential in civic education, it's values and attitudes that truly drive individual engagement, inspiring noble actions benefiting our communities or speaking out against injustices. Civic education instills these competencies and values in students, underscoring its pivotal role in fostering democratic processes in modern societies. Read the full interview with one of our co-founders, Louisa Slavkova, below. #CivicEducation #LifelongLearning