Youth Action for Social Justice is a new project of East Ed developed in consultation with our colleagues from Youth Building Bridges and the student leaders from our High School Diversity Leadership Conference. We seek to build a vibrant movement of youth for social justice in the Metro DC area built on diversity awareness and social action. We will facilitate student dialogue, training, and action through the Diversity Leadership Conferences, Youth Action Cafes, the Summer Social Justice Leadership Institute and other activities our student leaders recommend. We will serve as an umbrella for the meeting and networking of existing youth groups that share a commitment to social justice, regardless of their primary issue. We welcome partners in this endeavor and appreciate the support of NTL Institute, All Souls Church, and area schools.
Our Purpose:
To build a vibrant movement of youth for social justice in the Metro DC area through participation in community service and joint action on issues that matter to youth, leading to meaningful activities with sustainable outcomes.
We believe that:
o institutional racism and other forms of oppression are major forces in the U.S. that impact all youth and affect their development;
o all young people have gifts to give in the struggle for freedom and justice;
o societal peace and justice requires individual inner peace, self-awareness and acceptance of others;
o building relationships within and across group identities creates a vibrant, multicultural community;
o social justice work must be grounded in diversity awareness and anti-oppression training;
o service learning provides youth important connections to the real world;
o social action provides youth a vision and inspiration for the world they want to create; and
o the synergy of awareness, action and service creates lasting change.
Youth Action for Social Justice is a project of Eastern Educational Resource Collaborative with the support of All Souls Church, Unitarian, and area schools.