Uniting for Justice in a Time of Repression

We hosted our second Statewide Youth Gathering on April 3rd at the Creative Campus at Goddard. The theme was “Stronger Together: Uniting for Justice in a Time of Repression”. The day was planned by a group of thirteen youth and six adults from all over the state. About 230 people joined us for a day of connection, learning, and joy. We partnered with Outright Vermont, UP for Learning, Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network, Vermont Afterschool, and Youth4Change. 

The national attack on our rights and wellbeing is being felt locally. We’ve seen detainment and deportations of Vermont students, the removal of programs that support equity, challenges to student film screenings, and continued bullying and harassment. Basic needs like healthcare, food, and housing are being gutted and made inaccessible to many. We’ve also seen young people fight back by creating inclusive curriculum for their schools and organizing walkouts to demand the protection of vulnerable students. We organized the Statewide Youth Gathering because moving together makes us stronger and we need to protect those who are most vulnerable. In the words of Alice Wong “Advocacy is not just a task for charismatic individuals or high-profile community organizers. Advocacy is for all of us; advocacy is a way of life. It is a natural response to the injustices and inequality in the world.” We held the space to uplift stories of Vermont youth who are uniting for justice and learn from our ancestors and past movements.

The objectives of the day were:

• Creating connection to unify Vermont social justice clubs

• Sharing skills and resources for self-advocacy and making collective change in schools

• Cultivating joy and energy for our work

• Sharing stories from across the state to foster solidarity and strengthen our resolve to fight for social justice 

All of the workshops were led by youth or youth-adult teams. These were the workshops that were offered:

• How to Work Against Bias & Discrimination

• Ending the Silence on Mental Health in Vermont

• Creation Over Repression: The Power of Zines

• Screen, Speak, Support: Organizing "Watch+Talk" Events for Social Change

• How To Create Systemic Change When You Are Too Young To Vote And Too Young To Drive

• The Power of Sanctuary Schools

• Adult Support Space

• Courage Over Silence: Supporting LGBTQ+ Students and Challenging Harmful Gender Norms

• Power & Praxis: Navigating Power Dynamics as Youth Organizers

• Sew What’s Next: A Guerrilla Girl Upcycling Workshop

• Building Your Toolbox: The Power of Student Voice in Education

• Artist as Activist

• Layered Listening: How to have a conversation when all you want to do is scream

• Y4C Anti-Racism Workshop

Attendees had the option to screen print a shirt to take home with a design by student Dakota Wood. We ate delicious food from Aranda’s Mexican Cuisine and Le Bon GoûT for lunch and offered lunch conversation groups which included a BIPOC affinity space, disability affinity space, students organizing against ICE, queer affinity space, and a mental health discussion space. 

Here is what some attendees said about the gathering:

• “I really loved the freedom you had! Being able to walk around, taking short breaks in between workshops, having lunch in small groups or by yourself. [The schedule] felt more relaxed”.

• “I appreciated the opportunity to meet lots of new people and connect about topics we are passionate about!”

• “I loved seeing the students appreciate being with like minded peers. I think that the opening activities fostered a nice sense of community. Also, the West African food was amazing. :)”