EdJ Goes to the Youth Leadership Institute!

The Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) is an annual convening presented by the New England Youth Organizing Network (NEYON) that brings together youth and adult allies who are fighting for equitable public education throughout New England. The Education Justice Coalition brought three youth organizers from Colchester, Derby, and Winooski to the 10th Anniversary of YLI. This year’s theme was “transforming communities through care”.

EdJ joined two other Vermont-based organizations: The Root Social Justice Center and Outright Vermont at YLI. We connected with organizations from all over New England including Providence Student Union, Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education, Pa’lante, and Portland Empowered. We attended youth-led workshops about restorative justice, intersectionality, defeating imposter syndrome, and community care. Adult allies gathered for skill sharing. We gathered as an EdJ team to conceptualize the main issue in Vermont schools along with its causes and symptoms. 

In whole group sessions, we learned from Dr. Christina Villareal about the different ways that oppression shows up in our world, and how it takes a toll on our bodies. We practiced Emotional Freedom Technique Tapping. We also heard from Dr. V about how histories impact our journey to liberation through Isang Bagsak and In Lak'ech. We learned the unity clap and did a body scan. We discussed what collective liberation looks like. “The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free.” -Maya Angelou

The Nellie Mae Education Foundation’s generous support allows organizations to attend YLI free of charge. Thank you Nellie Mae for seeing the value in bringing youth together to build relationships, share their work, and imagine a free world!