During July, UP for Learning Program Directors Katie Ingraham, Susannah White, and Christie Beveridge supported middle and high school youth in the Burlington School District taking part in the Summer Racial Justice Academy (SRJA). This was the fourth summer the Academy has run, and it was held this year at Edmunds Middle School. The Academy is an incredible opportunity for students to learn about racial justice, connect with their community, and hone their leadership skills. Over three weeks, students work with community leaders, visit organizations that are focused on justice work in Burlington, and develop and recommend actions they would like to see taken in their schools to improve experiences for all students. A key component of each year’s SRJA are the students’ Capstone Presentations. Starting in the first week, students chose which area they would like to focus on: art-ivism, consultancies with community partners (including UP for Learning), youth activism, or social justice education. At the close of the Academy, groups of students delivered presentations of their work to an audience of BSD community members, including administrators, teachers, and caregivers.

This year, UP for Learning worked with a group of eight students focused on youth activism. We began our time together by introducing and discussing the Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) Cycle, and then helping students brainstorm the strengths and opportunities for growth that exist in their schools. Karyn Vogel, Data System Coordinator for BSD, also shared relevant data from community-wide surveys to assist the students in honing their ideas for change. 

Students then voted on which areas they wanted to focus on, and formed four groups: one looking at emotional safety in school, one focused on physical safety, one focused on developing more opportunities for student leadership at Hunt and Edmunds Middle School, and one focused on teacher and student accountability to each other. Each group then set about researching their topic, which included looking at already existing survey data, creating new surveys for SRJA participants to complete, and interviewing their peers. They then worked on creating slideshow presentations that included qualitative and quantitative data, discussion questions for their audience, and recommendations for next steps. 

On Friday, July 19th, a large audience of district staff and community members gathered to listen to the students share their work in their Capstone Presentations. All of the groups spoke with poise, elegance, and activism behind their voices. They prompted audience members to think and reflect on their own roles in the district and how they might make changes as the new school year approaches. 

The UP team is immensely proud of not only the students engaged in the Youth Activism Capstone, but of all of the participants in SRJA this year. They are a passionate group who aren’t afraid to speak up for what they believe is right!