Centering Humanity and Justice in Our Work with Youth

In this session, Dr. Erica Buchanan-Rivera will unpack the work of cultivating an equity lens with the purpose to create educational spaces that intentionally center humanity. School environments have the potential to be spaces of wonder and joy yet can also be a source of trauma and harm when the potentialities, identities, histories, and lived experiences of students are not considered in educational systems. This session will call for educators to think about how they show up for youth. Importantly, educators will consider the conditions that are needed within organizations to advance affirming spaces that generate a sense of belonging. The work of advancing equitable, just schools is a commitment to actions, and we must ensure that our beliefs about children are aligned to the values we walk in every day.