Activism: Get Involved
Activism can be defined as action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change. As a young person, there is so much value in finding ways to make your voice heard about issues you care about. During my time at Roosevelt I've been involved in multiple strikes, walk-outs and rallies. Some of this I've sought out independently, but there are many clubs within our school that work to push for social change.
One example is the recent Climate Strike on September 20th. Students all around the globe boycotted classes and rallied in the streets, speaking out for the need for rapid responses to the climate crisis from world leaders.
I'm a member of Young Feminists Club, and we put on the annual event FemiFest, a community event celebrating local womxn artists and musicians. We work on creating safe spaces for all people in the Roosevelt community.
As a gifted student, it can be easy to not want to skip class for these strikes. Or to not contribute time to helping organize them, you already have so much on your plate. But as a young person, it is so important to get involved and show up. There are so many issues with our world, from gun violence to the climate crisis to reproductive rights- and our generation has the chance to change it for the better. So get out there and get involved!
My freshman year a walkout was organized at Roosevelt, in response to gun violence. Bridges 2 Harmony sang and poets from Movement 515 performed- it was a culmination of what our youth voices are capable of. It made the local news and brought awareness about the issue. It was really powerful to be a part of that.
One example is the recent Climate Strike on September 20th. Students all around the globe boycotted classes and rallied in the streets, speaking out for the need for rapid responses to the climate crisis from world leaders.
I'm a member of Young Feminists Club, and we put on the annual event FemiFest, a community event celebrating local womxn artists and musicians. We work on creating safe spaces for all people in the Roosevelt community.
As a gifted student, it can be easy to not want to skip class for these strikes. Or to not contribute time to helping organize them, you already have so much on your plate. But as a young person, it is so important to get involved and show up. There are so many issues with our world, from gun violence to the climate crisis to reproductive rights- and our generation has the chance to change it for the better. So get out there and get involved!
My freshman year a walkout was organized at Roosevelt, in response to gun violence. Bridges 2 Harmony sang and poets from Movement 515 performed- it was a culmination of what our youth voices are capable of. It made the local news and brought awareness about the issue. It was really powerful to be a part of that.
Have you looked at the connection that gifted students have to social justice movements?
ReplyDeleteYes- in fact access to gifted education is a social justice issue itself. I think this is something very important to pay attention to, as many kids- children of color, living in poverty, or who don't have English as a first language- get overlooked and miss out on important learning. A study by the National Center for Research on Gifted Education found that even when these disadvantaged students were performing at the same level as their more well off peers, they were still 250% less likely to be identified for and served in a gifted program.
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