Connections to Social Justice Standards: Identity, Diversity, Justice, Action
Strategies:
1. Formal Leadership
2. Student-Led Resource and Affinity Groups
3. Board Membership
4. Informal Leadership
5. Youth in Front
Educators and other adults can help students develop their leadership skills in a variety of ways, from preparing students for formal leadership positions to supporting student-driven actions for social justice. Whatever the role, adults should remember that authentic youth participation means that students are driving the decision-making. The ladder of youth participation from the Kentucky Student Voice Team is a helpful tool for adults to assess meaningful youth leadership.
Formal Leadership
Youth who serve in formal leadership roles bring important perspectives to school leadership discussions and support policies that are more responsive to the needs of young people. Formal leadership can include traditional student government associations, a student diversity and equity council, a teacher-student advisory council, or a student seat on the local board of education or town council. Giving students a seat at the table validates their concerns and deepens their connections to the school community.
Students can hone their formal leadership skills and find other opportunities to lead through after-school and summer leadership development programs, such as:
- Global Leadership Academy
- United We Dream
- Student Voice
- Immigrants Rising
- GLSEN’s National Student Council
Students can also lend their perspectives to state and federal government bodies that oversee education, including the United States Department of Education.
Student-Led Resource and Affinity Groups
Resource and affinity groups are identity- or interest-based organizations that support students who share common backgrounds and experiences. These groups typically serve student communities that have been historically marginalized because of racial or ethnic identity, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, or gender.
Some examples of affinity groups include:
- Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) Clubs
- Black student unions
- Jewish student unions or associations
Establishing affinity groups at school can provide important support for students who belong to traditionally marginalized identity groups. (Young people need to understand why, for example, a Black student union is OK while a white pride group is not. Awareness of historical and ongoing marginalization will clarify that distinction.) When students play a role in leading affinity groups, it can deepen the level of support its members receive.
Learning for Justice has advice for teachers who want to support student affinity groups at their school. These resources can be found in Appendix C: Online Supplement. Additionally, the Great Schools Partnership has created a resource for establishing racial affinity groups at your school.
Board Membership
Students can get involved in school leadership and policy by either attending board of education meetings to share their opinions or even serving on the board as a student representative. An article in Kentucky Teacher, for example, highlighting a high school junior named to the state board of education explained that the student “will not vote on official matters, but will provide input on policy decisions that affect Kentucky’s public schools.”
There are many models of education boards that allow for varying levels of student representation:
- Student Advisory Board
- Student Board of Education
- School board members (voting or non-voting)
The more power a student has to influence votes and decisions, the more authentic their leadership experience will be. Regardless of the model, when students have a seat at the table and can directly affect educational policies, they get to experience democratic education in practice.
Students can also get involved in local, state or even national government. Youth leadership in local government can look like youth commissions, advisory boards, internships, or seats on local town or city councils. For example, Washington state has a Legislative Youth Advisory Council that serves as the official perspective of young people on multiple policy issues and helps effect real change.
When students get involved in local, state or national governments, they develop and use decision-making skills, engage in community service, and help leaders make better policy decisions that affect young people’s everyday lives.
Informal Leadership
Historically, informal student leadership—like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) has led to some of the largest, most influential social movements in our country. LFJ’s article on a trajectory of the power of youth activism, “From Birmingham to Parkland: Celebrate the Power of Young Voices,” illustrates the effects of students’ leadership.
In education, students—like those in Tucson, Arizona, featured in the documentary film Precious Knowledge—have led the fight for including ethnic studies courses in high schools. Recently, students have been leading walkouts against proposed bills that would limit accurate teaching of history, including Native American students in Flandreau, South Dakota. In Vermont, students are working to remove racist symbols and imagery. And nationwide, students have been protesting anti-LGBTQ+ policies and racially motivated education censorship and book bans.
Educators who nurture informal student leadership learn about the wealth of skills and knowledge young people in their classes bring to any space. Then, by asking students to serve as teachers, they shift the dynamics and create a more welcoming, inclusive space for youth ideas. In addition to framing students as knowledge holders, educators can support programs and curricula that foster civic engagement, speech, protest and freedom. These experiences help mold student leaders, like those at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who speak out against inequity and work toward creating justice.
Youth in Front
Youth in Front, a collaboration between LFJ, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is an online learning resource for adults who want to support student activism and leadership. This online course, comprised of three powerful interactive units, includes tools and actionable strategies for supporting youth activism.
The course units include:
- Normalizing Student-Led Activism: Understand the context of youth-led activism and the importance of adults embracing their roles as listeners and supporters.
- Legal and Practical Considerations: Learn about students’ and adults’ rights regarding protests and activism and how educators’ professional identities can influence how they support students.
- Preparing Ourselves and Colleagues to Support Student Activism: Examine how adults can prepare themselves to support student leadership for social justice, including building coalitions with other adults.
