Our second annual Education for Social Justice Conference is a space for youth, educators, and community members to build relationships and learn how to transform our schools towards justice and inclusiveness. Registration is still open! The conference is free to anyone who’s school/org cannot pay for them to attend. In-person and online registration are available at the same link.

When: Saturday, April 13, 2024 8:45am-4:15pm

Where: White River Valley High School in South Royalton, VT (with hybrid online options to attend)

Theme: powered by the people, collective power for collective liberation

Conference Objectives:

• Learning how to build collective power for collective liberation

• Building relationships to sustain ourselves and sustain our education justice movement in Vermont

• Cultivating joy and giving us energy to do this work

• Sharing skills, lessons, and learnings to transform our schools

• Lifting up and attending to issues that impact our students and our community

Accessibility: We will continue to center accessibility. The space is wheelchair accessible. This will be a masked event. The conference will be free for those who’s organization/school isn’t able to pay. There will be a low sensory space. We’ll provide childcare, food, shirts, and stipends for facilitators who are youth, people of color, and people with disabilities.

What To Expect:

• Music, art, and fun

• Adults and students in spaces together and spaces apart

• Affinity spaces for BIPOC students, educators, and community members 

• Spacious timing

• Accessibility of space, language, food, childcare, and transportation 

• Connection between the event and the local community

• Youth and adult led workshops

• Six hours of Professional Development credit will be offered with a certificate

What is the cost?

• This conference is free to anyone who’s organization is unable to pay for them to attend

• If your organization can provide support you can choose to pay the $50 or $100 rate

• Access is the most important thing for us so anyone that wants to attend for free can attend for free

How you can help:

• Spread the word! Here is a flyer you can share.

• Donate supplies. We’re in need of shirts for screen printing, snacks, fidgets, COVID supplies, pens, chart paper, and more. If you can help by donating supplies, please fill out this form. Folks who aren't attending the conference in-person can still help by donating supplies.

• Donate money. Our conference is free for most attendees. If you’d like to support our conference and other work we’re leading, you can donate here.

Geoffrey Winder is a national LGBTQ2S+ activist and former Co-Executive Director of the GSA Network, known for his intersectional advocacy in education and racial justice for LGBTQ2s+ youth. His early involvement in LGBTQ2s+ activism, starting with his high school's GSA club, set the stage for significant contributions, including the development of inclusive advocacy frameworks and the cross movement alliance with AEJ and AP which allowed the dismantling of harmful zero-tolerance anti-bullying policies. Geoffrey's leadership has always focused on solidarity and transformation. Currently, as an executive advisor, and strategic advisor he continues to influence the movement by promoting shared leadership models that foster inclusivity and belonging across diverse identities.

Shineika Fareus is an anti-racist educator, a community organizer, and a transformative leader. A youth organizer since 2014, Shineika has always valued the importance of having access to equitable education. She is a co-founder of Hearing Youth Voices who became involved with the organization at the age of 15 as a youth researcher working alongside a team of young people on the organizations first official “We Want to Graduate” Campaign. Shineika is committed to the liberation of Black folks that necessitates the destruction of capitalism and imperialism. She is the executive director of Connecticut’s Black and Brown Student Union.

Eli Clare is white, disabled, and genderqueer. He works as a traveling poet, storyteller, and social justice educator. He lives near Lake Champlain in unceded Abenaki territory (also known as Vermont) where he writes and proudly claims a penchant for rabble-rousing. He has written two books of essays, the award-winning Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure and Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation, and a collection of poetry, The Marrow’s Telling: Words in Motion. He currently serves on the Community Advisory Board for the Disability Project at the Transgender Law Center and is also a Disability Futures Fellow (funded by the Ford Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation). Among other pursuits, he has walked across the United States for peace, coordinated a rape prevention program, and helped organize the first ever Queer Disability Conference.