Category: Uncategorized
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Activist Spotlight: Iman Abdul
In this week’s installment of the Spotlight Series, we bring you a conversation with Iman Abdul, born and raised in Brooklyn, who has dedicated her life to empowering New York City youth, championing the right of every child to a free, culturally responsive, equitable, and just education. Check out a few excerpts from our interview…
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Teen Girls are Going to Save Our World
A huge student protest movement led almost exclusively by teenage girls and young women is sweeping Europe, and the US is not far behind. So far this year, tens of thousands of high school–age students in Belgium, Germany, and Sweden have boycotted class and protested against climate change. Their inspiration: a 16-year-old girl who began…
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Third Graders Tackle Car Pollution in their Neighborhood
Did you know that Ubers, Lyfts and taxis produce more toxic emissions than any other form of transportation? Third graders in Williamsburg took on this issue during SLP’s Fall Residency and published an incredibly powerful newsletter to raise awareness in their community about the dangers of car emissions. Read on to discover their solutions for…
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NYC Homelessness: A Persistently Urgent Concern for SLP Students
The SLP Residency begins with a basic question for our students: what are you worried about? What follows is a brainstorming session during which students identify issues of concern in their schools and neighborhoods. The topics they raise, ranging from bullying to gun violence to climate change, vary with each group of students but one…
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Never Too Young to Be a Leader
This fall, all three kindergarten classes at PS 147 in Williamsburg participated in SLP’s Residency Program. These incredible 5 year olds are the best illustration of our founding belief: if given the opportunity, youth of any age can use their voices to help solve problems in their schools and neighborhoods. So how does the SLP model…
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The New Normal
What social problem worries elementary school children so much that they devote twelve weeks to trying to solve it? For two SLP classes attending school in underserved Brooklyn neighborhoods, the answer is gun violence. During the fall session of SLP’s Residency Program, a 5th grade class at a public school in Brownsville shared stories of…
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Activist Spotlight: Xiuhtezcatl Martinez
Throughout 2019, we are releasing exclusive interviews from young activists around the country. We believe that no matter your age, you can create real change. Each person featured in this series embodies that belief. Today, we bring you a conversation with Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, an 18 year old indigenous environmental activist, hip hop artist and youth…
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Activist Spotlight: Kate Griem
Throughout 2019, SLP will be releasing exclusive interviews from young activists around the country. We believe that no matter your age, you can create real change. Each person featured in this series embodies that belief. To kick off 2019, we bring you a conversation with Kate Griem, co-director of Teens Resist and a sophomore from…
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State and Local Efforts to Improve Civics Education Are on the Rise
“Many people, especially young people, are no longer content to sit on the sidelines while their futures are decided by others. Comprehensive civics education will equip our students with the tools they need to become the informed, active citizens our forefathers imagined when they created our systems of government.” -Mass. State Senate President Karen Spilka…
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The “Youth Vote” & the Midterms: What Happened?
Historically, voter turnout for midterm elections is disappointing at best (ie. in 2014: a very disheartening 36.4%). But the political energy around and leading up to the 2018 midterms, widely considered a watershed moment, pointed to a change in voter trends. And on November 6th, as predicted, Americans across the nation voted in record-breaking numbers.…