Activism

Become an “Ecolutionary” [1]

Submitted by Trevor Barton [2] on April 1, 2013

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Activism [3]

Inspired by a TED Talk, a teacher mobilizes his entire school community to plant an urban garden.

Ron Finley inspired me. He calls himself an "eco"lutionary” because he plants and tends gardens in South Central Los Angeles, bringing produce—and transformation—to his community.

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Students Activists Need Our Support [5]

Submitted by Adrienne van der Valk [6] on March 8, 2013

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Activism [3]

A pair of news stories this week reported that students were being silenced and punished when they attempted to speak up for others. This is disappointing.

Two news stories caught our eye this week, both out of Florida, both involving students who were punished by school officials for acting on their principles.

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No School Like Freedom School [8]

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Activism [3]

Number 43: Spring 2013 [9]

“You are the hope of the future.” That’s the message Marian Wright Edelman, executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), gave more than 1,500 excited college students and recent g

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Let’s Hear It for Youth Activists! [11]

Submitted by Sara Schmidt [12] on January 4, 2013

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Activism [3]

I am in awe of young people.

Today, for example, I read about a group of teens in Louisville, Ky. who continued to speak on LGBT issues. High school students from duPont Manual High School were censored for writing about gay issues, but they refused to let their voices be silenced. They decided to run an underground paper, The Red Pen, and won the annual Courage in Student Journalism Award.

I am in awe of young people.

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Students Organize a Peace Rally, Get Inspired [14]

Submitted by Peter J. Elliott [15] on October 11, 2012

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Activism [3]

Every autumn, on an evening around dusk, a luminary-lit path appears on campus. Dozens of students gather for inspiration in their social justice work. They celebrate peace. Planned and executed by the students, this Peace Vigil includes readings, performances, art installations and demonstrations.

Every autumn, on an evening around dusk, a

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Don’t Let Malala Yousafzai’s Voice Be Silenced [17]

Submitted by Lisa Ann Williamson [18] on October 10, 2012

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Gender Equity [19]
Activism [3]

Few of us really ever have to answer the question, “What am I willing to risk my life for.”

Malala Yousafzai, 11, did answer.

Few of us really ever have to answer the question, “What am

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Eagle Scouts Honor Integrity Through Protest [21]

Submitted by Laura Sofen [22] on August 31, 2012

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Activism [3]

In the years since they graduated from middle school, several of my former students earned the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. I was proud of them. I read their stories in the local paper and was inspired by the various ways in which these young men improved our community. Each time, their accomplishments and selflessness impressed me. Earning the highest rank in Boy Scouts of America is an admirable achievement.

In the years since they graduated from middle school, several of my former students earned the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. I was proud of them.

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Making Invisible Histories Visible [24]

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Number 42: Fall 2012 [25]

Hannah Paredes, 14, never thought that she’d fall in love with history by cleaning a grave. She didn’t know much about Vietnam War heroes either, and the name Milton A. Ross was meaningless.

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Ava’s Words Teach Social Justice Lesson [27]

Submitted by Ann Van Etten [28] on August 27, 2012

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Activism [3]

Ava, an 8th-grade student in my after-school creative writing class came to me to discuss a story she was working on. She was writing a fictional story about a gay teenager who struggles with his sexuality and coming out. Even early on in the process, I was impressed with her ability to look at this story as a complex study in understanding—giving a voice to, and respectfully exploring, the conflicts of a gay teen.

Ava, an 8th-grade student in my after-school creative writing class came to me to discuss a story she was working on.

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Notes of Apology Offer Platform for Change [30]

Submitted by Tess Domb Sadof [31] on June 26, 2012

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Activism [3]

This past February, our school abandoned the traditional Valentine’s Day love note exchange, opting instead to encourage school-wide participation in a new activity we called the “Valentine’s Day Apology Note Project.”

This past February, our school abandoned the traditional Valentine’s Day love note exchange, opting instead to encourage school-wide participation in a new activity we called the “Valentine

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