YC PARTNERSHIP
WITH OSYD
about
Youth Communication (YC) is working with the NYCPS Office of Safety and Youth Development (OSYD) to provide culturally responsive professional development (PD) to all NYCPS educators, administrators, and support staff.
Funded by OSYD, this program is of no cost to participants. We’ll be posting more dates Monday through Thursday until the end of June, stay tuned!
The Program
YC is providing the following PD sessions in support of designing culturally responsive, anti-racist classrooms. Through the youth-developed stories written by YC authors, educators will be given mirrors (stories that reflect their own experiences) and windows (stories that provide insight into another’s experiences). Educators will be encouraged to examine their own identities, interrogate and challenge oppressive practices, and focus on building community in their classrooms and school buildings.
Through this professional development series, educators will be given the tools necessary to help students be seen, heard, and valued, and as a result, students will feel a sense of ownership over their education and dedication to the school community.
CTLE hours for their participation in the professional development sessions.
REGISTER BELOW!
More than just names
Our students are forging their own identities in a time of racial reckoning. The youth-written stories read during the session will serve as case studies and as guides for how educators can continuously improve positive youth racial identity formation by creating justice-focused classrooms and schools. We will review the difference between race, racism, and internalized racism, as well the impact racism has on education and a student’s sense of belonging. Participants will leave the session with a deeper understanding of how racial identity develops and learn to identify and address racism in the classroom.
▶ Friday, March 28th (9am – 11am)
▶ Friday, March 28th (12pm – 2pm)
▶ New Date Monday, April 28th (8am – 10am)
▶ New Date Monday, April 28th (3pm – 5pm)
World Within
Dismantling White supremacy also means taking stock of how it has permeated oneself. For many students and staff of color, it can be difficult to reconcile the history of the American education system with their place in it. In this session, we will read a true, teen-written story about interrogating internalized racism. We will review key terms like internalized racism, colorism, and white supremacy culture. Participants will leave the session with a deeper understanding of the impact internalized racism has on their students and tools to help create healthy racial identity development.
▶ Friday, April 4th (9am – 11am)
▶ Friday, April 4th (12pm – 2pm)
▶ New Date Monday, May 5th (8am – 10am)
▶ New Date Monday, May 5th (3pm – 5pm)
Visible and Vital
According to the 2019 National School Climate Survey, 84% of trans students felt unsafe at school because of their gender. Compounded with issues of racism, transgender youth of color are more likely to be subjected to racial discrimination than their cisgender peers. In this session, we will read a true, teen-written story about being a young trans person and discuss how to create a healthy environment for trans and non-binary students to thrive. We will review key terms like cisgender, transgender, gender queer, and nonbinary, as well the impact racism has on education and a student’s sense of belonging. Participants will leave the session with a deeper understanding of trans and non-binary students and actionable steps they can take to support them
▶ Friday, April 11th (9am – 11am)
▶ Friday, April 11th (12pm – 2pm)
▶ New Date Monday, May 12th (8am – 10am)
▶ New Date Monday, May 12th (3pm – 5pm)
Different, Not Less
Differently abled students remain often face discrimination in the very schools meant to encourage and protect them. In this session, we will read true teen-written stories about being differently abled and maneuvering a world that considers that a flaw. We will review key terms like disabled, differently abled, neurodiversity, and ableism, as well as how education systems can perpetuate stereotypes about people with disabilities. Participants will leave the session with a deeper understanding of their differently abled students and actionable steps they can take to support them.
▶Friday, April 25th (9am – 11am)
▶Friday, April 25th (12pm – 2pm)
▶ New Date Monday, May 19th (8am – 10am)
▶ New Date Monday, May 19th (3pm – 5pm)
Supporting Students of Immigrant Families
During this session, participants will be able to identify ways that stress, anxiety, and trauma impact our students of immigrant families. That said, we’ll discuss the strengths of our students of immigrant families and how we can identify ways to collaborate with each other and discuss strategies for how to better support our students. Participants will listen to story excerpts written by four youth writers which will give participants a window into each writer’s experience as immigrants themselves and as a young person in an immigrant family.
▶Friday, May 2nd (9am – 11am)
▶Friday, May 2nd (12pm – 2pm)
▶ New Date Monday, May 26th (8am – 10am)
▶ New Date Monday, May 26th (3pm – 5pm)