Tales from the Road: From Service to Social Justice

With recent protests everywhere from Tunisia to Wisconsin, it’s clear that civic engagement is vital in our times. Escaping a brutally cold April in Evanston, Kelly C. Weiley and Lindsay Wall, Assistant Program Directors of the Civic Education Project at CTD, traveled south to Atlanta for the 22^nd Annual National Service-Learning Conference, along with over 2,000 practitioners, teachers, and students seeking innovative ideas and inspiration. Sponsored by the National Youth Leadership Council, the conference included a strong youth presence. Side by side with experts in the field were students not only participating in but leading workshops. Kelly and Lindsay facilitated a packed workshop—throngs were turned away due to space constraints—called “Moving From Service to Social Justice,” which focused on strategies to help students have informed conversations on controversial issues. “It’s important to us that we help students address the causes of social issues as a starting point. There are many ways students can take action, depending on the needs of their community,” said Kelly. “This involves understanding what has happened in past, knowing the facts and figures, being critical, hearing other voices, and taking action. And it can be contagious. When you’re doing service with someone, a camaraderie develops that transcends differences such as political affiliation.” This inclusive approach is the basis for CivicWeek, week-long, career-focused service-learning immersion experiences organized by the Civic Education Project. With decisions over federal budget cuts looming, two recent CivicWeek programs focused on education and the legal system. During the CivicWeek titled Education Policy & School Reform, high school students learned about approaches to change in education from a range of organizations, including the Chicago Public Schools Office of School Improvement (which is in charge of intervening in schools that are not succeeding), a venture capital fund, which applies business models to school reform—literally calling for an investment in education, and the Chicago Teacher’s Union. Students then volunteered at neighborhood, charter and magnet elementary schools, where they tutored students and engaged them in literacy and recreational activities. Common theme? Putting students first. Law & Criminal Justice, held in Chicago and New York, were two of this spring’s most popular CivicWeek programs. In order to examine the criminal justice system from multiple angles, students sat in on trials at a criminal court. They then collaborated with a variety of legal institutions. In Chicago, students performed service at Cabrini Green Legal Aid, which provides free legal aid to low-income residents, and Cornerstone Community Outreach, where they learned about legal issues that face the homeless. At the Medill Innocence Project, students learned about investigation, questioning, and the interrogation process. Lindsay traveled to New York, where agencies like the Center for Community Alternatives  and Red Hook Community Justice Center, the first multi-jurisdictional community court in America, taught CivicWeek participants about court innovation and restorative justice. Having seen a lot of places and faces, what Lindsay remembers most is the collaborative spirit of this work. “We partner with so many phenomenal community organizations and are continually inspired by the passion and energy of our students, and their motivation to create change.” To see photos of the National Service-Learning Conference, visit http://www.nylc.org/news/national-service-learning-conference-2011-photo-highlights. For photos of CivicWeek, visit the Civic Education Project’s Facebook page.