Youth Stories from the Movement for Educational Justice
In these essays, youth leaders tell their stories of organizing for change in their schools and communities. They highlight their commitments to racial, social and educational justice, their experiences building community with other young people and fighting for change, and the meaning that participation in organizing has had for them. The young people are all students involved with local youth organizing groups and members of the Youth Justice Corps, a national network of youth leaders across the country sponsored by the Alliance for Educational Justice.
Advocating for Better Access to Mental Health Resources in Schools and the Community
How I Serve: Lessons From a Youth Organizer and Advocate
“If one person stands up, everybody stands up”: Connecting Communities for Collective Action
“Organizing is About Bringing People Together to Fight for What is Right”: A Journey to Organizing
“Chill: A Community that Cares”
Do You Care About Your Community?
“I aspire to set people free from their judgments”: Education is Liberation
Learning About Our Story: Organizing for Educational Justice in Chicano Communities
Using My Voice Today to Create a Better Tomorrow
by (TBD)
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These essays were produced in May 2025 as part of a project with the Alliance for Educational Justice (AEJ) and the Community Based and Participatory Research Course taught by Professor Mark R. Warren at the McCormack Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
More about the Youth Justice Corps (YJC)
The mission of the Youth Justice Corps (YJC) of the Alliance for Educational Justice (AEJ) is to support young people to develop as organizers and leaders of their peers in their local schools, communities and youth organizing groups.
The program provides political education and organizing skills training and connects these emerging youth leaders across the country. The young people are typically youth of color from low-income communities attending secondary schools. Doctoral students collected the stories of young people leading education justice organizing efforts in their local communities.
Why should young people get involved with organizing?
Graduate Student Testimonials
Young people fighting for what they need in schools and their communities at large is very remarkable work. I had the privilege of working with two insightful young people from Brighton Park Neighborhood Council in Chicago, IL (one of my favorite cities!). These young people are advocating for increased mental health support and resources in schools and the community. This experience was very full circle in that their focus is also work I have been doing in the community and they happen to be located in a city I love. Listening to their stories and being able to amplify their voices in the essay project was a rewarding opportunity and a slight exposure into the community based participatory work I plan to do in the future. I look forward to the progress these young people make and being an ally and support for their futures. —Terien Taylor
It has been a pleasure working with AEJ and YJC. The mission of their organizations support the social justice era of our time. Hearing the stories of young people and their passion for change inspires me to be a better person. It is refreshing to hear them describe the issues that affect them most. The work they do will have impact beyond their current advocacy efforts. I am excited to see how they evolve in the future. —Walter Foster
If I’m ever asked to look back on my life and reflect on the moments that shaped me, participating in this class will undoubtedly be one of them. Having the privilege of collaborating with my youth organizer and hearing his authentic truth reinforced the power of storytelling as knowledge. I’m incredibly grateful for the hands-on experience I acquired through this community-based research course and I am honored to have played even a small part in a young person’s activist journey. —Elaina Brown-Spence
When this class ends, it will have been the last class of my academic career. From preschool to Ph.D., I have spent a considerable amount of time as a student. In all this time, I have never taken a class quite like this. In this moment of reflection, I am both sad and hopeful. • I am sad for the loss of what my education might have been. This class has shown me the value of community based research and the power of liberatory education as a tool for social change. Seeing this approach to education and research also fills me with hope for the future. It is my dream and my plan to put what I’ve learned through this class into practice so as to support the creation of an educational system that is truly emancipatory. —Tony Passino
For more information, please contact ptt@schottfoundation.org. If you use any of these essays in your work, we would be happy to hear about it!