Executive Director Lindsey Halman and Program Director Harry Frank joined host Melinda Moulton on her local community access television program On the Waterfront to share how their passion for youth and adult partnerships brought them to UP for Learning. They also discussed the history of the organization, as well as the many projects that the UP team has been working on over the past year. They told stories of UP’s work in schools from Thetford to Winooski, and how transitioning to a virtual facilitation model during the pandemic has created opportunities for new connections both in and outside of Vermont. Lindsey also shared how UP is moving towards a systemic approach to youth-adult partnerships, stating, “We are now working with districts and full schools rather than small teams in a school… [We want] to look at how we do this work around youth-adult partnership as a system. How do we center youth and this work around restorative practices, social emotional learning, [and] transforming schools so that it’s not just a niche thing that’s happening over here because there are champions, but so that it becomes the fabric of the institution?”

Check out their informative and inspiring interview here!