Developing a Culturally Responsive Practice

Feb 26, 4pm - 7pm

Feb 28, 9a - 12p

Being culturally responsive is not something that happens organically. When we are accustomed to and conditioned into the dominant culture, we must do the work to become conscious of how these normalized practices impact those who do things differently. Being a culturally responsive youth worker and/or educator means creating space to honor the multiple cultural frames in your spaces and working on how your own informs your practice. By being conscious about how your cultural frames show up, you can, in turn, develop strategies to center perspectives that are not your own and show our kids, especially across differences, that their cultural practices are just as important. That they are just as important.

This course will offer an initial exploration of self-culture and ways in which dominant culture has been centered in our educational spaces. Any educator or youth worker committed to being their best for kids and fostering equity in schools would benefit from participating.

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Reimagining Family Partnership

March 14, 9am - 12pm

March 19, 4pm - 7pm

When asked about this, most people who serve youth will say that they value family partnerships. However, diving into the practices and policies around said partnership, you will find that partnering with families is not something often invested in. Often, families need to meet the needs of their child’s school or organization and not the other way around. This is because families are not encouraged to engage with the people helping raise their children. Studies show that programs and school buildings involving families in the learning process have much better student social and academic outcomes. And, just like everything, if this is not worked on and invested in, then traditional roles of family engagement will be upheld. In this case, “traditional” means that the educator or youth worker is the expert on the child, and the family should do what they recommend. Reimagining family partnership means that we understand that the family is the expert in the room, knows their child best, and knows their culture. It positions the educator/youth worker in a place of service over dominance. Educators must build their capacity to differentiate instead of expecting families to adapt to their needs. 

This course will offer a place to engage with other educators/youth workers and a strategy to create a policy that centers the family and the youth in our practice.

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Asset-Based Communication

Apr 11, 9a - 12pm

Apr 23, 4pm - 7pm

We live in a society that consistently identifies the deficit first. This translates into youth work and education because we often tell kids what not to do with the belief that this will teach them appropriate behavior. We are not often aware that this style of communication only conditions compliance and lowers self-esteem. Developing our skillset to find and name assets that our young people bring into the world is imperative to ensure we foster positive self-image and empowerment in our kids. 

This course will create space to explore the possibilities of communicating differently. It will also allow participants to reflect on the role they want to play in young people’s lives and understand their power in making or breaking a young person's relationship with themselves.

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Redefining Discipline

May 16, 9am - 12pm

May 21, 4pm - 7pm

Year after year, year after decade, school discipline data stays consistent. The data is so consistent that one might be able to predict a young person’s educational outcome based on specific identity markers. Things like race, learning capabilities, being a non-native English speaker, and gender identity are all places where we see disproportionate discipline outcomes. Educators and youth workers need a place to explore ways to do things differently. What would it look like to center inclusion instead of exclusion? We cannot create what we cannot imagine. 

This virtual course will explore equity possibilities in schools while offering concrete tools to engage with resistance. The goal is to develop our skills to meet young people where they are and offer ways for them to stay in the learning space instead of being removed. Exclusionary practice is dated and a thing of the past. We already know the impacts of this way of doing things. They are predictable. If they are predictable, then they should be preventable. This only happens, however, if educators and youth workers are willing to operate differently. 

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We recently published What is Equity In Education in hopes of address persistent disparities in outcomes. Too often, initiatives lack the focus and consistency needed for real change, leading to burnout and missed opportunities. Enrolling in our virtual courses for educators is a great next step toward making lasting change and advancing equity in education.