Talking to Young People about Social Change
Over the course of the past four months, I have been involved with a group of local parents in the Washington DC area. We came together because we are deeply concerned about the genocide in Gaza and the rising tide of backlash targeting Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities in the US. Young people have been a central part of rallies, meetings, and advocacy efforts in the DMV and around the country. In fact, their voices have often been the most poignant and powerful.
Many of us adults talk about the toll of never-ending crises in our country and around the world. We wonder how to get involved in effective and sustainable ways. But what about the impact on young people and children, and what resources do they have to sustain their social change involvement? I think about how my own son, now 13, has lived through a time of overlapping catastrophes: a global pandemic, the racism of the Trump Administration, police killings of Black people, the climate crisis, and the genocide in Gaza (just to name a few). I often worry about what he’s absorbing, and whether he has the adequate tools and networks to continue his learning and participation in social change efforts.
How do we prepare young people and children to confront the crises of today and the ones they will surely inherit? How do we preserve and maintain their hope, joy and innocence, when so many children are being robbed of these fundamental needs by war and starvation? How do we answer the direct and hard questions that come from children (ie. “why is this happening?") without falling into an abyss of numbness or outrage ourselves? How can we share realistic and historical truths with them, while also giving them hope and teaching them resilience?
If you’re interested in these same questions, please take a look at a new series of interviews on my You Tube channel which explores the wisdom of parents, educators and writers who are focused on children and young people in the context of justice and inclusion. My first interview is with Dr. Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn, author of the forthcoming book, Exclusion and the Chinese American Story. We talk about the choices that Dr. Blackburn made in her book to describe the challenges faced by Chinese Americans in both an accessible and hopeful manner.
If you know of a writer/educator that should be part of the series, please let me know.
Over the course of the year, I’m hoping to have more of these conversations both online and in person, particularly because I have a children’s picture book coming out in September 2024 about social change. Why a picture book, you might ask? It’s because I heard from teachers and parents who were using the social change ecosystem framework (more about that here) in their classrooms and homes with kindergarteners and elementary school children. I wondered what ideas and inspiration could be sparked in children if they had a point of entry to understand community change, and over time, We Are the Builders! became a reality. The book, vividly illustrated by Romina Galotta, follows a group of young people who use their skills and strengths to improve their neighborhood by playing different roles like storytellers, healers, and visionaries. If you are interested in bringing the book to a local school, library, bookstore, or event near you, please let me know at this link.
Here are some resources for additional reading about how to talk to young people about social change, histories of people of color, and Palestine:
Dr. Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn’s website to find Exclusion and The Chinese American Story
What is the DMV?