Youth Activism Toolkit: How to start a student-led movement
course
A guided toolkit on how to spearhead a movement in your own community! Learn how Justice in the Classroom launched a county-wide movement to demand racial equity in schools!
Justice in the Classroom
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Course Description
The goal of the “Getting Started” Advocacy Toolkit is to walk you through some basic steps an organizer can take to develop a strategy, build collective power, and use that power to create meaningful, lasting change. It also addresses important topics like practicing self-care or resolving group conflict on your path toward victory.
WANT TO START A JUSTICE IN THE CLASSROOM CHAPTER?
Are you fed up with only learning Eurocentric narratives in the classroom? Does your school lack diversity and inclusion programming? Do you hear racial slurs and remarks being thrown around your campus without any repercussions? As students, these are important questions to ask our community to ensure we are learning in a safe, just, and equitable learning environment. Justice in the Classroom is a student-led movement addressing the racial injustices that happen on school campuses extensively. Through our 6 proposals, we take a holistic approach that acknowledges inequities in our school system that are interwoven with one another. Down below is a list of our full set of 6 proposals. Whether you want to spearhead one 1 proposal or all 6, this first course is designed to ensure you are well equipped with the knowledge and resources to positively impact your community. If you wish to start a Justice in the Classroom chapter, please fill out this form to get in contact with us for more details (after you completed this course!).
This “Getting Started” preliminary course will tell you everything relating on how to assemble a team, utilize social media as an activism tool, sustain the movement, and more!
OUR 6 PROPOSALS:
Devise and implement curriculum changes that are more racially accurate, sensitive, and inclusive.
Shift the focus of eurocentric English and Language Arts curriculum to include literature and scholarship by -Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and anti-racist authors. The focus on “classics” and “great works of the past” undermines inclusivity and equates European literature to literature of value. Learn more about Proposal #1 here.
Review and release public reports on district efforts of current diversity and inclusion programming. Learn more about Proposal #2 here.
Devise and implement mandatory Diversity and Inclusion programming across district schools.
Diversity and Inclusion student councils promoting more students of color in leadership positions
Dedicate at least one special assembly per year to addressing student racism and implicit bias. Learn more about Proposal #3 here.
Release a detailed plan for recruiting, hiring, and retaining educators of color, as well as establish a leadership position dedicated to equity and social justice. Learn more about Proposal #4 here.
Plan and implement professional development for all staff and faculty on implicit bias, racial equity, proper responses to student racism, and inclusive curriculum. Learn more about Proposal #5 here.
Review and publish annual reports on the progress of racial equity in CVUSD disciplinary practices, including racial disparities in student searches, detentions, suspensions, expulsions, and schools’ involvement with legal authorities in student conduct issues. Learn more about Proposal #6 here.
Here is what you will learn in our Course:
Unit 1: How to recognize your leadership as a young person
Unit 2: Researching the social issue you are passionate about
Unit 3: Creating your vision
Unit 4: Assembling your team
Unit 5: Building Alliances
Unit 6: Social Media
Unit 7: Time to Manage
Unit 8: Elevate your Pitch
Unit 9: Sustaining Momemtum
Units
Unit 1
Yes, You Can Do It Too: Understanding your power as a student
Welcome! Thank you for signing up to take our course. This “Get Started Toolkit” course will introduce you to your power as a student and how you can leverage that power to spearhead change in your local school district. You might be thinking how can I possibly enact an institutionalized impact on my school system as a mere student. We too thought the same thing, but we are here to tell you this is a myth! Our first course is a toolkit designed for you to be well equipped with actionable steps and resources to bring justice in the classroom. Today, we have the largest youth generation the world has ever seen. This represents a lot of power. The world needs you. We thank you for taking a stand rather than staying on the sidelines. You are making a huge step in your activism journey by taking this course.
Justice in the Classroom started as a small group of 14 students from one district. Within a month we have spread to over 150+ students across our county working with us internally to bring Justice in the Classroom. You hold more influence than you think. We will support you in exercising your power to pursue change beyond your school or neighborhood to the entire school district, city, or even state.
As James Baldwin said best, “The paradox in education is precisely this that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated.”
Before getting started, it is important to keep this in mind:
Recognize the power of your voice so you can take yourself seriously and others can take you seriously as well too.
This will take up a lot of your time. Keep track of tasks by creating a priorities list and delegating.
Be prepared to make mistakes, pivot strategy, and continuously learn...A LOT!
Advocacy and organizing is a circular process, you won’t get direct results fast. Remember it is a marathon, not a sprint.
If you ever get stuck, remember to always lean into community support (that includes us!) Email us at
[email protected].
In this course, you will identify what it means to be a leader, learn what type of leader you are, and how there is power in your voice as a student!
Unit 2
Let’s Be Informed: Research for Your Organization
When creating your organization it is integral that you thoroughly research information that is relevant to your organization. Having a clear background and knowledge of applicable information will make you better equipped for your organization. In the case of Justice in the Classroom, research is a key component in everything we do. We have a research committee that focuses on researching everything in regards to education and equitable education. Research can include policy research, organizations with similar goals, data, and academic journals that investigate the issues your organization is trying to address.
In Justice in The Classroom we decided to research several topics that aren’t taught in our education system. By effectively researching our organization was able to translate the research into social media series called history outside the classroom. The bite size information was publicized and efficiently grew our platform. Consequently, the knowledge acquired from the series led to our policy research team creating and researching our 6 proposals.
How to efficiently research relevant information
Where to find information
Recognize the importance of research
How to utilize research to grow your organization
How to translate information into social media and other platforms
Read and watch the materials in our materials to learn how to research for your organization.
Unit 3
Dream Big: How to Create Your Vision
A vision inspires action and pulls in ideas, people and other resources. It creates the energy and will to make change happen and inspires individuals and organizations to commit, to persist and to give their best. A vision is essentially a practical guide for creating plans, setting goals and objectives, making decisions, and coordinating and evaluating the work on any project, large or small.
Having a vision provides a sense of direction for your organization. Your vision will help you define short-term, mid-term, long-term goals, and guide the decisions you make along the way. Ask yourself: What am I trying to achieve with this organization? What problem am I trying to fix?
In this unit, you will learn how to:
Outline your goals
Create a mission statement
Create short-term, mid-term and long-term goals
Unit 4
Students Assemble: Create and expand your team
For any organization to thrive and be successful, you have to assemble a team and work together with those people to expand your organization. One person cannot do everything. Therefore, teamwork is key to building a successful organization from the ground up.
In this section, you will learn how to:
Communicate with your team via Slack and create a Slack account
Form committees within your organization
Schedule Zoom meetings to connect with different parts of your organization
These tools will also help you communicate with local public officials and other important people in your community.
Unit 5
Building Alliances: How to find allies
In this unit, we will discuss how to find and build alliances. Allies are important as they can help with :
Sharing ideas and new perspectives:
Developing a plan for joint actions and campaigns
Increasing your chances of success
Increasing available resources.
Presenting a powerful, unified image to the community
The easiest way to start recruiting allies is to determine if there are already groups in the community either working on your issue or working on similar issues, who might be interested in working with you. After researching the groups in your area, reach out to these groups and initiate the conversation about a partnership.
Unit Guide:
Learn the importance of building relationships
Discover who to contact
Learn how to format an outreach email
Critically examine relationships
Unit 6
Got Socials?: How to Utilize Social Media
In this digital age, social media is a quintessential tool for grassroots movements and activists of any purpose. Some of the advantages of social media are that you gain followers, supporters, workers, and spread your message. You can collaborate with other, similar groups from small social media campaigns to larger projects. You can educate people as well as share your vision and goals.
In this unit, we will teach you what social media can be used for and how to truly utilize it. And, you’ll be practicing this in the exercises at the end of the unit. The goal is to help you start to think about and build a plan for your social media.
Summary and Checklist:
What should you use social media for? What are the types of posts?
How to use different social media and Technical Skills
What is a Social Media Calendar?
Unit 7
Time to Manage: Running Your Organization
Managing an organization can be extremely difficult if you don’t have the right team and the right mindset. It can be hard to trust other people to do the work you have given them. You will also face many roadblocks in your path to success that you might not know how to approach and overcome. That’s why having the right management style is key, and learning how to delegate work will help you and your organization become more successful.
In this section, you will:
Watch a video from leaders of a current organization
Learn how to overcome different obstacles
Decide what management style will work best for you and your organization
Unit 8
Elevate your Pitch: How to Pitch Your Organization
The perfect pitch can make or break your organization. As your organization grows it is integral to have competence and skills to properly pitch your organization. One effective pitch to the right people can result in a myriad of opportunities for your organization. In this unit you will learn the basic structure of a pitch (what, why, and how), how to make a clear and concise pitch, and how a pitch can expand the platform of your organization.
- learn how a pitch can expand your organization
- basic tips for making your pitch
l- earn how to contextualize your pitch
Unit 9
Keep it going: Sustaining Momentum
The most difficult but important part of starting an organization is to keep your momentum going and create a cycle of continuous change. It is crucial that you build a strong foundation for your organization to thrive and succeed. The previous units specifically outline how to get your organization started to ensure you don’t feel overwhelmed as you start gaining momentum and support.
In this unit you will learn:
What activism burnout is
How to prevent activism burnout
How to sustain your movement