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I absolutely loved every moment of creating this. The five people highlighted are some of the current and former youth workers that inspire me daily to be the best I can be in many different ways and I 100%  would not be here without them. Being able to reflect on the various experiences I had with all of them with a YDEV lens was really cool and it helped me understand why they did/do what they do, even if its not conscious (like putting theory into practice, various YDEV ideologies, etc.)

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Youth Worker Visual Archive Zine (YDEV 501)

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This blog post really made me miss my students in Lewiston. Most of them were underclassmen and are still navigating the public school system and I know this year has been incredibly tough on them and the return to normal seems further away than ever, but they’re still doing the work. Granted, it looks different than before, and despite it all, they’re still working together to create change. They truly embody what BLM in School is and what abolition in school looks like.

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The goals and principles that BLM at School outlined on their website are really similar to those many of my students at LHS have. During my time there, many of my students were involved in student and community organizations that were fighting for implementing restorative justice programs and classes/curriculum related to social justice and ethnic studies. Additionally, I knew students involved in the GenZ Project (also a LHS student) making short films and documentaries about and with youth in Lewiston. They were supposed to premier their second full-length documentary, Barayubaka, in May but, unfortunately, the red carpet and screening were cancelled.

The films the GenZ Project created highlight all of what BLM in School outlines in their goals, even if it's not explicit. The youth in Reason 4369 share their hopes, dreams, and aspirations and their desire to create a better world for themselves, their peers, and siblings is undeniable. The youth in the films are also working to change the stigma around the city of Lewiston as well.

In the spaces I shared with my students and other students of color, BLM at School's principles were present and actively being discussed in some way, even if it wasn't explicitly. All of my students were girls of color, Muslim, and identified as immigrants or refugees. In speaking with them about their past experiences and future hopes and dreams, it was obvious they embodied the values and guiding principles BLM in School list on their site. I wish I had known about BLM in School when I was at LHS, my students would have loved to participate in the Week of Action and this year's Year of Purpose.

Outside of those spaces, it was a different story. Some of the white students I got to know didn't understand the importance of restorative justice, ethnic studies, or of BLM more generally. Moreover, my students would tell me stories about teachers and peers speaking negatively about BLM, restorative justice, and other related issues in their classes and, on some occasions, students were shut down when trying to explain why those are important.

In order to affirm the values of BLM, there needs to be an understanding of what BLM is. In my experience at LHS, there was (and probably still is) a gross misunderstanding of what BLM is and what it actually means, especially in the context of school. Moreover, teachers, students, and administrators, especially those who are white, alike need to understand where BIPOC students are coming from and what their experiences are. I would be curious to see how well-received the Week of Purpose would be if it was done at LHS.

Though there is a lot of work to be done, I think that LPS are starting to take small steps in the right direction of affirming BLM in school. At the start of this school year, the school board voted (5-4) to reduce the number of school resource officers in the district from 4 to 3 and hiring a restorative justice coordinator in place of the 4th officer. This resolution specifically applies to the "fund counselors, not cops" demand of BLM at School and though there are still SROs in LPS, I believe that what the school board voted on is a step in the right direction. I have tried to reach out to my former students to find out what that change has been like for them as LPS adopted a hybrid schedule but I have yet to hear back.

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The goals and principles that BLM at School outlined on their website are really similar to those many of my students at LHS have. During my time there, many of my students were involved in student and community organizations that were fighting for implementing restorative justice programs and classes/curriculum related to social justice and ethnic studies.

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This was probably one of the most unique projects I've ever done in a college/grad class. I liked being able to go back and really see all of my years of school laid out in a neat little package. It also helped me better understand where my love of youth work originated and why certain things affect(ed) me more than others. The theme of that piece was freedom and when I had it verses when I didn’t. That’s really the theme of all of the pieces I chose for this portfolio and how freedom looks in many different ways – in youth workers, in youth ‘doing the work,’ so to speak, and in the classroom.

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I chose to include our facilitation plan because, for me, abolition as a practice in schools/youth spaces is something that wasn’t on my radar until I started in this class. I had only recently started doing deeper research into abolition in non-school spaces - primarily prison abolition – this year. Being able to connect with Katie and create this plan and then hear the conversations the class had was a really incredible and important experience for me. This class has been really important to me and it truly is the highlight of my weeks and I’m so sad that it’s over!!