Summary
This is the seventh section of our Workshop Series: Educational Justice Campaigns. Educational Justice Campaign is meant to help students develop the framework for an educational justice campaign, using the tools and knowledge developed through the previous workshops.
Objectives
- Begin the dialogue for an actual campaign
- Learn how to determine an issue to focus and organize around
- Think about who is impacted
- Identify allies and potential coalition partners
MATERIALS NEEDED: Vision & values statements; Our School paper; Poster Paper; Markers; Post-its; Pencil/Pens
Determining an Ed. Justice Issue (0:20)
TRAINER NOTE: Begin the workshop with the Visions and Values statements and the Our Schools poster paper created from the previous workshop hanging up on the wall for everyone to see.
TRAINER 1 OPENING STATEMENT: Welcome to the Educational Justice Campaign Workshop. This workshop is the final workshop in the educational justice campaign series. This workshop will help us begin organizing and creating our campaign. We will begin to identify the biggest issue that’s affecting students and what our solutions for this issue are.
TRAINER 2 ASK: From the list of issues going on in our school that we came up with in the last meeting, which would you say are the two biggest ones that are affecting the most students? Why is that the biggest? TRAINER NOTE: Make sure to get responses from everyone; also highlight/star all that are said and pick the two most popular issues.
TRAINER 1 ASK: Of these two issues, one or both will become the focus of our campaign. But that can only be decided by consensus of the group, so can I get a show of hands for (option 1)? (Option 2)? TRAINER NOTE: Select the option that gets the most votes.
TRAINER 2 ASK: Now that we have decided on an issue that affects so many students on our campus, what are some solutions to the problem? Also, what are some barriers and/ or problems to reaching those solutions? I want folks to get into groups of two to discuss with one another some solutions that they can think of to help bring justice on campus and what barriers they may face when doing so. TRAINER NOTE: Give participants 15 minutes to discuss.
TRAINER 1 ASK: Can I have each group share what their solutions to the problem could be, how it solves the issue, and what some possible barriers may be? TRAINER 2 NOTE: using a different colored marker than previously used on the Visions, Values, and Our Schools poster paper, get a new paper titled Solutions and another titled Barriers and write down the solutions/barriers offered.
TRAINER 2 SAY: These are very important elements of the campaign to always keep in mind. Understanding what you are fighting for and what you are demanding is essential to bringing about change. Also, being conscious of the barriers/problems that may lie ahead will help in preventing unexpected surprises.
Conclusion: Educational Justice Campaign (0:05)
CLOSING STATEMENT: One of the most important pieces that we need to make sure we tackle when even beginning the conversation about a campaign is education. We’re starting an educational justice campaign, but are we educated on the issue(s) that the campaign tackles? If we do educate ourselves on the issue(s) and find out which students are targeted and how and why they are targeted, are we the only students working on such issues or who have interest in them?
These are important questions to have in mind, and to be prepared to answer. The next steps for this campaign will involve answering these questions for yourselves, finding out your allies and who is already doing the work. Contact your local GSA Network staff member to receive additional support and resources.