TLPI hosted the 3rd Annual Youth Summit, Raising our voices, Transforming our schools on April 17th. This year’s summit welcomed 100 high school students from across the Commonwealth to the Harvard Law School campus. The Summit is a culminating event for young people who participate in TLPI’s Students Speak Initiative this school year. Through Students Speak, TLPI supports secondary school students from across the Commonwealth to raise their voices about what they need in order to do well in school while helping them strengthen their advocacy skills. For each of the past four years, Students Speak has paired Harvard Law School students with secondary school students from after school youth development programs in one-on-one mentoring relationships. Participating students work with their mentors to prepare and deliver testimonial statements about their school experiences to the Massachusetts legislature; design and implement advocacy projects in their local schools and communities; and come together with a larger group of youth from across the state to engage in the annual day-long Students Speak Youth Summit.
Throughout the day, young people gathered in community with other youth to learn about youth-led advocacy work, participate in workshops, build advocacy & awareness skills, and engage in opportunities to share their perspectives of what they need to do well in school. All workshops were planned by and led by peers and each imparted important skills and understanding related to youth activism for educational justice. Workshop topics included advancing advocacy skills through creative writing, engaging in problem-solving through an interactive presentation about bullying prevention in the style of Theater of the Oppressed, and examining climate action strategies and addressing push back from school administration.
A former participant of the Students Speak program provided the keynote address. A passionate mentor, they are dedicated to further exploring and expanding the role of student voice in education reform. The Summit participants also enjoyed the fabulous food provided through the generosity of several Harvard Square restaurants. We would like to extend a very special thank you to the youth program advisors who supported the young people in coming to Cambridge for the day and in successfully engaging in a jubilant day of learning and networking. We look forward to next year’s event!