Why we’ve gathered here
I think we’ve gathered here to learn from each other; to gather our stories; to share our histories; and to form a powerful network of strong young leaders for the future. Upon reflecting on our first day, my colleague Fred Frelow noted how impressed he was with the tremendous sense of agency he saw and heard from the youth leaders in BLTN NextGen. This observation raised a great deal of questions for me. How did these young people come to a space where they have such strong and powerful identities? What is necessary to support and sustain them? How can we change dominant cultural narratives about young people who may come from challenging circumstances? How do we promote within schools “democratic pedagogy” that harnesses the unique qualities, expertise, and knowledge of young people across a myriad of similar and differing contexts? How do we think about out-of-school experiences where our NextGen leaders can work within communities to help them to answer probing and complex questions?
Next Post
Dear Doug and NextGen Fam,
I love that you echo James’ phrase “democratic pedagogy” here.. I’d love to know what our various interpretations of that phrase might be. Who’s up for giving your definition of what that means?
Tom-the-curious-pedagogue
Dear Doug and all BLTN NextGen friends:
There are so many questions here that you ask, Doug. Now that we have gone our separate ways, I think it is even more important to search for ways to answer them. How can we sustain each other and our work in our diverse locations? When and how can we write and showcase our narratives? How can we become a voice in this crazy world we are living in? I am ready and eager to learn from you all.
Ceci
These are all excellent questions. I’m having dinner tonight with Fred and Vickie and I want to bring your questions to them and encourage them to also post a response. More later my friend!