Transforming Education for Social Justice: Conference Day Details

This workshop is for everyone! Young people, including PK-12 students, higher education students, school leaders/educators/administrators in PK-12 & higher education. Join us and learn how we can collaboratively, collectively, create communities, schools, families, systems, structures, and institutions that dissolve ableism and all forms of oppression and create new ways of being, honoring all the ways Disability Justice Movements created, and create, the possibilities of what we can build and create together, now. We’re focused on schools and education, and acknowledge that families, communities, institutional systems, policies, practices and structures are all intrinsically and inherently linked. We’ll explore these connections. 

This active and engaging workshop includes: 1) a panel of young people, families, and educators sharing our lived experiences through real life stories and reflections, 2) pictures, video and visual images along with captions and descriptions to include all learners and disabilities, 3) an interactive and engaging dialogue with participants and panelists about ways disability and ableism exist in schools and school systems, how they intersect with all forms of oppression (i.e. racism & white supremacy, classism, sexism, trans oppression, heterosexism, religious oppression & Christian hegemony, adultism & ageism, language-based oppression, and more), and how we can all move together towards true Disability Justice and collective liberation for all. As Audre Lorde brilliantly said, “There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” (“Learning from the 60s”, Sister Outsider, 138). Hence, the need to be intersectional, always, in approach, analysis, and all that we do. This workshop centers the lived experiences, perspectives and realities of people with disabilities, including family members of people with disabilities, with an intersectional lens and focus, and a liberatory, strength-based, Disability Justice frame, foundation, and commitment. Joy, hope, connection, visioning, possibility, fierce advocacy, collaboration, courage, bravery, belonging, truth-telling, transformative and liberatory practices, perspectives, and love are very much included. Fun, joy, deep inclusion, creativity, freedom, liberation are all central to Disability Justice. We hope you join the dialogue and visioning towards Disability Justice, transformation, and liberation for all!

Facilitators:Elaine Brigham, Rayah Brigham, Diane Fedorchak

Morning.

The purpose of this workshop is to highlight how one mostly White-rural school district has navigated their Anti-Racism journey on a cross-generational Equity Team from understanding, to activism, to transformative change. This workshop will be mostly facilitated by youth on the Equity Team with some adult voice. This workshop will explore tools for Anti-Racism, the power of youth voice, the power of liberatory solidarity, and the power of authentic youth and adult collaboration.

Facilitator: Lindsay Turgeon-Brown, Dakota Wood, Denny Bills

Morning.

Often, those living with disabilities in the workplace are navigating the realities of that without much institutional support, and at times, even feeling they have to hide/minimize/mask/soley-self-accommodate their disabilities in order to survive in the workplace and keep their jobs. And it’s not always just a feeling. In schools and educational institutions and organizations, what does it mean for educators to be supporting students with disabilities, often tirelessly and with great commitment, creativity and advocacy, while navigating ableist policies, practices, school culture, and larger culture themselves? How can we create schools, organizations, institutions committed to freeing themselves and ourselves of ableism by doing the necessary self and organizational reflection, inventory, collaboration, learning, unlearning, to move this commitment from theory to practice? What do schools, organizations, institutions and communities free of ableism look like? Sound like? Feel like? How do they function and operate? With intersectionality always informing our dialogue, visioning, practice, policies, everything (“There is no such thing as a single issue struggle because we do not live single issue lives,” -Audre Lorde). How do we bring all the grit, lived-experience, sheer determination, unrelenting advocacy, struggles, strengths, challenges, gifts, knowledge, wisdom, joy, collaboration, coalition-building, solidarity, mutual aid, and creativity and deep commitment to liberation, of disability justice movements past and present, of people living with disabilities, of all ages, into the forefront? How do we make the invisible, visible? Let’s dialogue about it together over lunch! This affinity group lunch is specifically for people with disabilities (or whichever wording you choose to identify yourself) who want to gather, connect, dialogue, hang out and eat together, etc. For immuno-compromised folks, if the weather works well enough for this- we could meet outside so we can unmask (from our KN-95s, etc.) and eat lunch together while connecting and dialoguing. Depending on who shows up to join and participate in this affinity group, we’ll do our very best to create a literal and energetic space that works for everyone there and everyone’s various needs, disabilities, accomodations. Looking forward to gathering and connecting with you!

Facilitator:Elaine Brigham & Young People

Lunch.

Deep-rooted capitalism breeds trauma, disconnection, and generational harm. In this workshop, we will come together to share how restorative practices (RP) can help us navigate, process, and make strides toward healing the trauma from existing within an oppressive system. The utilization of RP does this by encouraging communities to speak from the heart, intentionally listening, making space for all emotions, and being their whole selves with one another. Capitalism doesn’t allow for this to happen naturally. For financial gain, corporations offer alternative “solutions” to trauma that don’t address the root harm and can worsen the initial harm. We will ground ourselves in what it means to be well and experience the healing power of authentic connection. We welcome intergenerational connection, all are welcome!

Facilitators:Alix Coran, Zoe Zizi Phillips Santiago, Giselle Ohm, Ruby Donelly

Afternoon.

Come learn about how activism can make the world a better place. Learn activist backstories and characteristics they use/embody to change the world. Discuss how YOU could change the world.

Participants will describe characteristics of activists that inspire them and participate in story telling about how they can participate in making the world a better place.

Facilitators: Mikaela Simms and BUHS AWARE

Afternoon.

In this workshop, a group of Black collegiate students of whom have founded and led several poetry organizations within their predominantly white schools will speak on their experiences utilizing spoken word as a tool for activism and identity development. Guided by their coach, international award-winning spoken word artist Lyrical Faith, Team Slamherst is UMass Amherst’s first ever poetry slam team. These student leaders have competed in regional youth and statewide poetry competitions, performed at local open mics and facilitated poetry workshops.

Panelists will perform, discuss the stories behind their poems and engage audience members in critical dialogue around social justice through the arts. Panelists will facilitate a portion where attendees are prompted to think of writing their own stories to give voice to.

The purpose of this workshop experience is to raise awareness on the work Black youth are doing in out-of-school literary spaces to develop themselves and advance the craft of spoken word poetry while promoting social justice ideals. Attendees will be able to understand more about the transformative properties of spoken word culture and how they can activate their own voices and/or their students’ voices within and outside of the classroom.

Facilitators:Imani Wallace, Joel Blandon, Adriana Lyra-Brazao, Ihuoma Onyeukwu, and Marcialo Aquino

Afternoon.

Early childhood care settings are an ideal place to help young children understand inclusion and advocacy. In this workshop, our group will explore ways for young children to understand disability and accessibility, and to help them gain inclusion and advocacy tools they can carry well into their later school years.  We will begin by exploring the larger systems of intentional oppression that inform not only our teacher training but surround our students with misinformation about how bodies and minds should look and function, followed by a group reflection about the false body hierarchy and what messages we learned as children that told us that some bodies are more valuable than others.  We will talk about common support needs that show up in our classroom, and approaches to meeting those needs that do not cause shame, othering, or exclusion.  We will learn about some modern youth-led disability movements, and will close with some exploration of how a child’s understanding of disability can help them navigate the rest of their grade 3-12 journey with a strong sense of their own worth.  The presenter will share her contact information so that attendees can follow-up with questions, or connect for more in-depth support around specific support needs. 

Facilitator: Suzanne Stillinger

Morning.

TLDR: Let’s talk about identity! Let’s Dance! Let’s Move! Let’s Express! Let’s Share!

This workshop will entail a series of culminating activities suitable for a preschool/early elementary environment.

In addition to using visual art, literature, and affirmations discussed in last year’s iteration of Me, Myself and Us, this workshop dives more in depth to how we connect with each other in a classroom community and with ourselves through food, music, and dance/movement. Implementing these things into curriculum provides enriching experiences that support the whole child’s development as well as promote cultural exchange and appreciation, respect for diversity, positive self-perception, identity formation, and a deeper sense of community. Consider this workshop an accelerated preschool day with opportunity for reflection and discussion! By the end of the workshop, participants will hopefully leave with a sense of empowerment in fostering connection through activities, songs, and games, a suggested recipe guide for cooking projects, and a deeper understanding of identity-based curriculum and its importance now more than ever.

Facilitator: Lyric D. Wray

Afternoon.

Participants in a healing-centered retreat will share their experience about this unique and immersive PD. They spent 2 days and 1 night practicing culturally sustaining, relational and contemplative strategies to re-awaken humanity in the experience of teaching, learning and belonging in schools. Reflection from participants on a “panel” will offer others a glimpse into the PD and its outcomes, and an embodied activity and dialogue will connect workshop attendees with each other to further a conversation of healing praxis and its impact on belonging.

Facilitators: Members of Our Fire Collective, including teachers and school leaders who have practiced with us in past retreats.

Members of Our Fire Collective are New England-based educators who have experienced the depth of relational, contemplative and culturally rooted practices of a retreat(s) and ongoing community-building to center healing in learning spaces out loud, on purpose, and in public.

Afternoon.

The purpose of this workshop session is to use clips from Inside Out 2 (the motion picture) to practice self-awareness and emotional regulation skills. This workshop will be backed by other educational research including brain science. This workshop will dive into topics such as how you’re feeling, strategies for big emotions, unpacking your identity, navigating friendships and belonging, and sense-of-self.

Facilitator: Lindsay Turgeon-Brown

Afternoon.

This workshop empowers educators to introduce fairness and justice in their classrooms, focusing on developing shared language around critical topics. Participants will use updated language that reflects the realities of today’s world, ensuring their communication is accurate and inclusive. Tiffany will support participants through introducing complex ideas, honoring what learners already know, and co-creating with your classroom community. Together, we’ll create developmentally appropriate working definitions for words like — justice, privilege, freedom (and more!) and work on fostering an environment where learners are truly included and affirmed. You will leave with a clearer sense on how to build and co-create with learners strategies. Our goal is to work together to ensure that the language we use is not only current but also reflective of students’ diverse backgrounds and experiences, promoting a more just, connected, and compassionate classroom and school community.

Facilitator: Tiffany Jewell

Afternoon.

What’s got a chokehold on talking about antisemitism? A thorough understanding of antisemitism is critical to how we participate and lead in all social justice movements. Participants will learn a foundational power analysis and the historical roots of antisemitism. We’ll discuss Jewish identity and how antisemitism intersects with other forms of oppression. Through historical and modern examples, we’ll examine how antisemitism harms everyone and has become insidious across the political spectrum.

Facilitator: Shoshana Brown

Morning.

In this session, participants will engage deeply with the important topics of AI and equity as we consider the ways that AI is interacting with and impacting education. We will explore ways AI contributes to othering, as well as its potential for bridging and belonging.

Participants will engage with some AI tools and share their experiences as educators and students. They will also build an understanding of how AI works, and learn about how bias and discrimination show up in AI tools and in their deployment, particularly in educational contexts. Finally, they will explore ways to use AI in ways that support equity and belonging. Participants will leave with a set of approaches for interrupting bias and othering with AI, as well as supporting equity and belonging in school communities.

*We’ll be looking at how these tools work, so if you’re able to bring a device (phone, tablet or a laptop), please do! We also ask that you bring one you’d be willing to share your screen with people around you.*

Facilitators: Mariah Lapiroff, Sahara Pradhan, Suzanne Judson-Whitehouse

Morning.

In this workshop we will identify barriers for neurodivergent youth being included in their community. We will list what has gone well in schools and review some expert resources, we will identify what some concrete solutions are, identify key players who can support this change and outline doable action steps to advocate for this work. Come prepared to do movement, hands on and dialogue around this work. Having a device with you will help, but is not required.

Facilitator: Jess Terry

Afternoon.

In follow up to the morning session “Understanding Antisemitism and Bridging its Intersections”, participants will have an opportunity to apply new knowledge and analysis to the school setting specifically. Participants will build on intervention strategies already implemented and explore the limitations of these current interventions. By utilizing the Notice Name Intervene framework and restorative justice practices, participants will workshop new strategies for addressing antisemitism.

Facilitator: Shoshana Brown

Afternoon.

Open to students in grades 6-12

In this session, local young people engage in lively relevant conversations with state legislators and local elected officials regarding issues they see in their community. This is an opportunity for you to engage, raise questions, share ideas and be heard while the elected officials actively listen to offer insight and support. There will be 3 to 4 topic groups centered around various concerns you bring to the space; allowing two conversation rounds with legislators & officials about community issues. Past conversations have included: homelessness, school climate, youth mental health, yonder bags, transportation and so much more! These conversations by its very nature are the heart of civic engagement, we hope to see you there! **Participants will be given a pamphlet; that offers a place to take notes as well as bios & contact info for legislators/officials in attendance.** Over the years, DIAL/SELF AmeriCorps Program (DSAP) has supported annual YELO Forums throughout the River Valley. DSAP is a program of DIAL/SELF Youth and Community Services and is funded in part by the Massachusetts Service Alliance.

Facilitators: Lani Ortiz, DIAL/SELF AmeriCorps Program

Afternoon.

Systems of oppression didn’t happen by accident—they were designed to divide us. Fueled by the agendas of Europe’s wealthy elite and those who supported them, hierarchies of race, disability, sex, and other identities were intentionally constructed to maintain power, exploit labor, and drive profit. These divisions weren’t natural; they were upheld through deliberate legislation, policies, and ideologies that still shape societal structures today. After Bacon’s Rebellion exposed the threat of solidarity among laborers, race was weaponized to divide and control, ensuring shared struggles couldn’t become shared power. Eugenics dehumanized disabled people, framing bodies and minds marginalized for not aligning with profit-driven standards as inferior and expendable. Reproductive control was used to prioritize laborers deemed “good” while limiting the reproduction of marginalized groups deemed “bad” or dependent. These strategies of division remain deeply embedded in how we perceive labor, bodies, and relationships. This session will analyze how wealthy colonizers used race, religion, ability, age, sex, and more, to create and perpetuate systems of oppression. Participants will examine these legacies in contemporary contexts and reflect on how these systems continue to shape our lives. Through dialogue, small-group exercises, and practical tools, attendees will gain strategies to understand and challenge these inherited patterns. By recognizing and disrupting these divisions, participants can begin reimagining communities that prioritize collaboration, liberation, and a return to right relationship as a counter to the divisions wrought by colonization. Benefits: This session provides participants with historical analysis and practical tools to better understand systems of oppression and their ongoing impacts. Attendees will leave equipped to recognize how these systems influence their personal and professional environments and will gain strategies for fostering equity, collaboration, and systemic change in their communities. Audience: This session is designed for educators, community leaders, organizational decision-makers, and anyone interested in deepening their understanding of systemic oppression. It is especially relevant for individuals seeking to apply historical knowledge and reflective practices to disrupt inherited patterns of division in their personal, professional, or institutional context.

Facilitator:Natalie J. Thoreson

Morning.

The purpose of our session is to support educators who want to center Native voices in their planning, reflecting and teaching and leadership practices. Participants will be able to leave the session with a consideration of how a Place-based approach enhances our sense of belonging and center Native Education practices for the benefit of adults and learners in K12 spaces. Participants will: 1) Develop an understanding of what a Place-Based approach can look like and how it can be applied, 2) Have a description of the Standard Model of Indigenous Learning (SMILe* from the work of Dr. Sandra Barton, 3) Leave with a draft planned unit/curriculum idea/meeting agenda using the SMILe rubric from Dr. Barton.

Facilitators: Sandra D. Barton, José Lugo, and Itza D. Martínez

Morning.

Explore how educators and school leaders can equip students with the confidence, skills, and agency to address real-world issues in their own communities through inquiry-to-action learning. Designing and creating actionable solutions that better their schools and communities can transform students’ attitudes and behaviors, teach compassion and multiple perspective-taking, and deepen content knowledge across all academic areas. Through participatory activities and dialogue, attendees will gain insight into how solutionary projects enable young people to become active, impactful contributors to their local communities.

The purpose of this workshop is to offer educators a starting point for exploring how to bring the Solutionary Framework into their schools and classrooms. This session provides a foundation for understanding how student-led, place-based projects can foster critical thinking, empathy, and actionable solutions for social justice, climate change, and other pressing global and local challenges.

Facilitators: Rene Neuner, Betsy Farrell-Messenger

Educators and administrators strive to create equitable and just classrooms and schools where students can bring their full selves into their learning. Using proven strategies that foster positive relationships and create a healthy environment for learning, allows us to make strong connections with our students, foster joy, and ensure equity. With these strategies, we also:

• Improve both discipline and academic performance of students
• Improve both classroom and school climate
• Reduce both teacher stress and student failure

All educators and students benefit from a healthy, fair, and just learning environment, where students feel respected and safe to participate and partner in their educational experience. Learn and practice how to support and empower your learners by creating a classroom culture for productive, student-centered learning. We’ll practice how to consistently, effectively, respectfully, and proactively address the low-level behaviors that regularly interrupt and interfere with precious time on learning, while also helping students to build needed and lagging skills. Join Pamela to gain specific strategies that will empower students with the readiness and confidence to learn and teachers with the time and energy to teach!

Facilitator: Pamela Penna

Afternoon.

In “Belonging in Action: Addressing Bias with Restorative Solutions,” participants will explore how restorative practices can foster a culture of belonging in diverse school environments. The workshop aims to equip school leaders and educators with practical tools to recognize and address bias while helping them develop strategies for fostering inclusivity in the classroom. Participants will learn how building strong relationships with students and encouraging connections among them can enhance classroom climate, improve student engagement, and create a supportive learning environment. Goals include understanding the impact of bias, developing actionable restorative strategies, and engaging student voices in the conversation. The session will feature collaborative discussions, case studies, and hands-on activities. Participants will leave with an action plan and resources for implementing these strategies in their schools.

Facilitators: Vonetta Lightfoot, Nilda Irizarry

Morning.

This panel brings together district and building leaders to share their experiences and strategies for fostering inclusive school environments where all students feel a sense of belonging. In a time of increasing polarization and fragmentation, it is essential for school leaders to take proactive steps to address systemic othering, and promote bridging across differences all while centering youth voice, supporting robust mental health, and aligning with state mandates.

Facilitators: Safire DeJong, Tom Chang

Panelists: Julie Anne Levin, Heather Brown, Bill Collins, Marcus Ware, Lauren Brown

Afternoon.