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To Mobilize Our Youth for Future Elections, We Must Embrace Student Voices Now

Sep 16, 2016 12:00:00 AM

by Alma-Delia Renteria

Whenever people ask me what I miss most about my classroom days, I often struggle between two specific memories: my days as a National Council of La Raza (NCLR) service-learning teacher and the many hours spent discussing educational equity. Even though my students were all sixth through eighth-graders, their opinions and thoughts were always filled with passion and experience, as they used their personal narratives to develop their own conclusions about the world around them. As a first-year teacher, I was provided the opportunity to receive professional development from the NCLR through their signature “CASA” program ( Cultura, Aprendizaje, Servicio, Acción), a service-learning project that is geared towards middle school students. As part of NCLR’s cohort of educators, I was exposed to the many opportunities that we as educators have in everyday instruction to promote student voices and create opportunities to embrace their knowledge and experiences as a way of mobilizing them for civic action. During that first year with NCLR, my colleagues and I developed curriculum that focused on educational equity and helped students create youth-led campaigns to fundraise towards equipment, resources and opportunities that they felt were important to their own educational journey. Witnessing seventh-graders take complete ownership over their education is one of the most powerful moments of my life. What was even more amazing, however, was realizing how eager my students were to make a difference and have their voices be heard. Without realizing it, this service-learning project helped inspire some of my students to become involved advocates of change—a few of them even volunteered for my own campaign as they felt their voices were important and that the community should hear from them too. As the presidential election approaches, I can’t help but miss my classroom days. I can only imagine all the conversations we could be having around the different issues from education to criminal justice reform and the ideas and solutions they would be identifying to solve the overly complicated systems that we adults have created. There is so much our students can offer, and yet there are not enough opportunities for them to truly voice them. Today, I urge you to engage young students who you know and work with. Ask them thought-provoking questions . They will probably have more to share than you would ever imagine. [pullquote]If you are an educator, allow a space in your class for discussion.[/pullquote] If you need a starting point, start  here. Newsela is a great resource that recreates articles to be student-friendly, based on recent events. The earlier we engage our students into being active community members, the greater the difference they will make in the future. During every campaign cycle, we talk about mobilizing our youth yet we forget some of our most promising, community leaders and advocates are still inside classrooms, learning the systems and experiencing first hand how the system is not always on their side. Let’s all do our part and engage them now. Perhaps through authentic listening, we can find the solutions from students—the same  ones often missing at the table where adults make decisions about their education. And just remember to be prepared; you will be taken aback by how much young people have to offer and how real all these issues are to them.
An original version of this post appeared on La Comadre.

Alma-Delia Renteria

Alma-Delia Renteria Alma-Delia Renteria is a digital learning coach for South Ranchito Dual Language Academy in Pico Rivera, California. Alma is a proud product of Lynwood schools. As a student in Lynwood, Alma was very involved which developed her passion for community outreach and education. After graduating from the University of California-Riverside, with a B.A. in English and a year earlier than anticipated, she decided to make her “fourth year” of college a year of giving back by joining the national non-profit City Year. While at City Year Los Angeles, Alma built a strong network of education advocates which encouraged her to apply and join the prestigious Teach For America program. Upon joining TFA, Alma began her education career as a middle school teacher at a charter school in Downtown Los Angeles. It was while teaching that she realized the need to do her part to help serve the community she grew up in. Alma was elected to the Lynwood School Board in 2013, where she made college accessibility/readiness a main priority. Her passion for providing communities like her own opportunities for a future of options led her to transition into the non-profit sector and take the role of project manager for Be A Leader Foundation, a college readiness program under the Jacki & Gilbert Cisneros Generation 1st Degree-Pico Rivera initiative. Alma completed her master’s degree in Urban Education at Loyola Marymount University and looks forward to continuing her involvement in the college access movement.

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