It is often difficult to pinpoint what inspires us. What is it that gives us drive and passion and keeps us going. So many people in my life inspire me to lead. My parents- who work tirelessly to provide a quality life and education for my siblings and I. Who always put our needs before their own, and are always showing us love and compassion. My little sister- who continues to be unapologetically her, despite what others may think of her. Who has struggled through such adversity in her 12 years, but still wakes up every morning with an infectious smile on her face. My little brother- who has a heart of gold and always puts others before himself. My teachers- who remain patient and kind even after explaining something to me for the fifth time. …show more content…
The social justice program especially is a unique opportunity for students at St Mary's College to use their positions of privilege to make a meaningful difference to the global community. Initiatives such as project compassion, Vinnies on Parade, Live Below the Line and Vinnies winter appeal are all opportunities for St Mary’s students to put into practice the ethos of justice and use their privilege to raise funds and awareness for those who are …show more content…
The social justice program especially is a unique opportunity for students at St Mary's College to use their positions of privilege to make a meaningful difference to the global community. Initiatives such as project compassion, Vinnies on Parade, Live Below the Line and Vinnies winter appeal are all opportunities for St Mary’s students to put into practice the ethos of justice and use their privilege to raise funds and awareness for those who are disadvantaged. This program is something that is very much at the heart of the culture of St Mary’s, and something that has moulded my own journey here. Every year from Year 8 to Year 11, I have been awarded the privilege to represent my class in a group of like-minded people- all working towards a common goal- to educate our peers on social justice issues, and raise funds for organisations that assist people facing them. Each year I have seen Year 12 Student Coordinators of Social Justice leave their own mark on this program- whether this be the addition of after school meetings, the restructuring of a current event or even a person’s own unique leadership style. Each student leader has both inspired me to strive for leadership in year 12, and provided me with a vision as to how this program is most
Ms. Hall has had many years of public education experience and higher education training in which to hone her leadership style and framework. She started her career as a teacher in the Kirkwood School District. She then served as an assistant elementary principal at both Ritenour and Pattonville School Districts before being selected to serve as the assistant superintendent of the Maplewood Richmond Heights School District in 2008. Throughout her career she continued to pursue her education as a means o...
Dr. Settee describes how she requires her students to partake in at least one community project per semester. This teaches students “action education and education for social change”. Instead of simply reading books about the many issues, the students are provided with the opportunity to read the community they live in. Her students are not limited to only the lectures the Dr. offers, but they are able to understand the “claiming of our space” Priscilla Setee explains we all need to do. She describes that with all the bad news we see on TV every night, we need to continue to have hope and optimistic outlooks. This is the only way activism can be successful. Students learn this from seeing the impacts real people are making. They learn the need to stay hopeful when they see it firsthand. She teaches her students, through praxis and experiential learning, that media must be reclaimed and recreated to reflect the hope that is out there. Students are taught to be a part of that very hope. She finishes off with the very strong quote, “no one is a passenger on this Earthship; we are all crew”. Praxis reminds students just
Introduction As a new University of Virginia coalition begins to take form, it is the hope of the author that this new group follows Amanda E. Vickery conception of citizenship, and realizes the potential value in creating social justice-oriented citizens. In order to fully expand on this recommendation this paper will discuss multiple areas of interest in order to promote the idea of cultivating social justice-oriented citizens at the University of Virginia; Characteristics of Social Justice Oriented Citizens, Universities of Virginia’s existing Neoliberal structure, Recommendations. If these aims are achieved one could imagine an increase in African American Enrollment at the University of Virginia. Characteristics of Social Justice Oriented
Policies can be quite useful when it comes to providing assistance to others. The social work profession is dedicated towards enabling all types of individuals, groups, and communities to function, contribute and progress in society (The West Scotland Consortium, 2000). In particular, Obama’s Race to the Top initiative helps social workers assist students in achieving their higher education goals. This includes making the act of attending college a more achievable dream for those who are interested in doing so; with this policy’s focus on higher ed...
Through the courses that I have taken thus far, I have learned about and experienced many rewards of teaching for social justice. However, I have also learned about the challenges of teaching for social justice, such as mismatches, racial stigmas, and avoiding oppressive teaching, to name a few. From course readings, the dispositions, and real-life situations, I have been able to grasp the understanding of being a teacher for social justice.
One level of involvement the Alternative Spring Break program engages in is empowerment due to the fact that it calls upon students seeking to enact positive change in the world to fulfill these visions of a better future. The program facilitates this by working with community organizations to define societal issues and develop ways in which students may personally aid in working toward a solution. In the process, participants are able to learn about and experience these issues directly, thereby feeling empowered to carry out benevolent processes which assist in addressing the defined issues. Furthermore, the Alternative Spring Break acts as a platform which encourages the empowerment of other students who possess similar aspirations of achieving
“During my time involved in the program, I was fortunate enough to make several friends who lead me to many community involvement opportunities and also lead to a more diverse resume.” Students like Moore have the chance to go through Panther LEAP and make a change in their leadership skills and also finding a way to take what they learned and use it for a higher purpose. “Panther LEAP has given me the tools for successful navigation through all of my leadership positions and endeavors,” Moore says. “I now feel more confident handling a variety of situations from resolving conflicts with the organizations to my time management abilities.” Prithak Chowdhury is the coordinator for Residential Leadership and Civic Engagement at Georgia State University.
Not only do we need to understand the ‘issue’ or ‘societal problem’ that many people face and are impacted by every day, but we need to meet and work alongside those whose daily realities are shaped by injustices, while not creating any divides or barriers in the process. Everyday people are affected by the issues that organizations fight for or against, and once we realize how people-centered things like advocacy, outreach and service are, I believe young people will realize their call to action and their potent...
The pursuit of equity, then, by school leaders involves both a moral and political commitment. Today, it is imperative that school leaders possess both management know-how with values and ethics (Sergiovanni, 2009). Blackmore (2002) argues that because school leadership is a social practice it must be led by a moral responsibility. Moreover, Anderson (2009) argues that school leaders who practice advocacy leadership, a more politicized leadership practice focused on improving marginalized communities of race and social class, draw an ethical line to use their formal authority powers against the powerless. In other words, advocacy leaders make a concerted effort to use their powers to break the chain of disempowerment of marginalized
Do you ever stop and think what social justice means to you? Social justice means that no matter the situation or race,or gender you always do the right thing. Social justice is important in today’s society because it’s highly unfair to get mistreated because of your race or gender. Not everyone is a bad person,there are just simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. Most people just blow the whole social justice thing over and just act like it’s not a problem in today’s society. This really is a big problem and it needs to be fixed.
It is up to the instructors to expose students to matters of social justice that surround them. Furthermore, we have learned that culture does not have to be forfeited for students to excel scholastically (Kraehe and Brown, 2011). It can be intertwined with lessons so that there is exposure and discussion around the social justice areas. This will help students keep an open mind when faced with these types of challenges in the future; as well as, help them deal with difficult
As educators, teaching social justice to young children sets them up for success and isn’t that what we want to do as educators? So let's do it
When it comes to my future I have to say my mom is the biggest motivation in my life, she has help battle through my many obstacles. Seeing all she has done have inspired me to work twice as hard just to one day repay her for all she had done for me.
Who inspires you and why? I’m inspired by loads of different things rather than anyone in specific. Stuff like movies, TV, album covers and of course, photographs. I’m always researching and looking into new and old things wishing I were that good! I’m also really inspired by the
We are to serve as advocates for every student in regards to their academic, career, and personal needs. This requires strength and leadership. I have learned that it is