A third graders take on the best part of service learning, and how the experience changed him.
Taking Up the Baton /
Earlier this week, President Obama visited the University of Chicago and delivered the first public remarks of his post-presidency. His comments covered a range of topics, including his plans for the next phase of his life. Going forward, he explained, his highest priority is help "prepare the next generation of leadership to take up the baton and take their own crack at changing the world."
Part of his task is to persuade young people that the country's problems, though serious and daunting, "are not insoluble." Moreover, he added, many young people are very concerned about a wide range of issues but "feel as if their involvement would not make a difference, it's not worth their time...They are discouraged but feel disempowered."
Our experience working with students of all ages confirms their deep concern about so many issues: poverty, violence, education, civil rights, climate change, and more. And our evaluation of SLP's impact has shown that, when given a real opportunity to make their voices heard in their schools and neighborhoods, young people are significantly more optimistic about their ability to have an impact: they feel more comfortable sharing their ideas for change, they see themselves as leaders, and they feel a drive and a responsibility to solve social problems.
When it Comes to Service Learning, Students are Community Partners /
In this week's issue of Education Week, SLP responded to a recent op-ed, "How Can We Make Service Learning Less Self-Serving?" In the original article, San Francisco teacher Kyle Redford shared her concern that too often service-learning efforts organized with community partners benefit the students but not the partners themselves. Our Letter to the Editor explains how the SLP model consistently enables students to provide direct and lasting benefits to their community partners.
Brownsville, Moving Forward /
We love this recent article challenging the typical deficit portrayal of Brownsville, a Brooklyn neighborhood home to more than 58,000 residents, with close to 30% under the age of 18. When Brownsville is covered by the media, the subject is typically crime, poverty, and crisis. But this piece highlights the work of a few native New Yorkers who have returned to their childhood neighborhood to open new businesses intended to benefit Brownsville residents. Their innovation and energy reminds us of the amazing teachers, staff, and students at one of SLP's partner schools, PS 446, where 50 third graders are heading into the final weeks of our Residency Program.
Protest is Not Enough... /
In a recent interview with The Atlantic magazine, Eric Liu, author of You're More Powerful Than You Think: A Citizen's Guide to Making Change Happen, explains why protest is important but not enough. Anyone looking to create systemic change must "outline an alternative vision of what life should look like, and work to sell people on that vision." This strategy is a critical component of the SLP model of service learning. We give students the tools they need not just to identify and critique a problem, but to design a research-based, positive solution. In the final phase of their project, students work together to persuade the people or institutions responsible for causing or solving their chosen problem to implement their vision. A group of 3rd graders in downtown Brooklyn, for example, distressed by the many, and sometimes fatal, traffic accidents involving pedestrians in NYC advocated for a slow zone in their neighborhood. Working in partnership with a local advocacy group, the students organized a petition drive and took part in a Public Service Announcement (PSA) in an effort to persuade their local Community Board of the need and neighborhood-wide demand for a slow zone. As Mr. Liu explains, rage is not enough: we must know how to "organize and activate other people for change."
The Era of Fake News /
An important article about the challenges of helping young people (now more than ever) evaluate the reliability of "news" they find online. One of the many goals of SLP is to help young people develop their research skills and, for students that have access to technology, the internet is an invaluable source of information. But we always talk about how to determine whether the information they find online is reliable.
And, as the Dean of Stonybrook School of Journalism explains, the fight is not just about fake news. “If you define fake news as news that’s totally fabricated,” he said, “that’s only a small part of a much bigger problem, which is this tsunami of information and misinformation, half-truths, advertising masquerading as news and opinion appearing as if it’s fact-based."
He added, “Introducing this at the university level is way, way too late."
Straight Talk /
"We should all be equal, we all have equal worth,
but we don't all experience equality yet."
Earlier this week, the NYT published this thoughtful op-ed about the importance of talking openly and honestly with all children about historic and present-day racism and inequality. Falling back on the easier "we're all equal" is not enough. The author encourages parents, in particular parents of white children, to help their children "recognize racial meanness and understand that white kids have a particular responsibility to challenge racism" when they witness it. She adds, "Raising children who are resilient for justice and able to do their part to create an inclusive society takes more."
Service learning in schools offers a critical opportunity for students not only to have these honest conversations, but to take action to address the inequalities in their communities and beyond. Schools can and should begin these conversations as early as kindergarten and continue to offer opportunities for civic engagement throughout the elementary, middle, and high school years. The result: a new generation of engaged citizens actively involved in social problem-solving and promoting equity for all.
Feeling inspired.... /
During these challenging times, when homelessness in New York City has reached the highest level since the Great Depression, we are so inspired by two 3rd grade classes in Brownsville, NY. Although many in their community, including classmates, live in temporary shelters, the issue they are the most concerned about, and chose to help solve, is street homelessness. They are still in the Research Phase of their project but are planning to advocate the City Council to fund a Peer-to-Peer Outreach program created by SLP partner, Care for the Homeless (CFH). The program is designed to "find the homeless where they are" by training formerly and currently homeless New Yorkers to educate adults living on the streets of NYC about free medical care and other critical services provided by CFH. The students are planning to organize a letter-writing campaign as well as a petition drive to persuade the City Council to support the outreach program. In the meantime, they are organizing a sock drive to help adults living on the street stay warm and healthy during the winter months.