Thank You and Best of Luck, Ana!

What a journey! In her 9th grade year, Ana Lindert-Boyes started her connection with UP for Learning as a member of her school's youth-adult team in Transforming School Culture through Restorative Practices. She then became a facilitator and leader of UP's Youth Action Council. She even designed her senior year to be engaged in an early college program connected to her work with UP around equity, restorative justice, and transformative education! We have been gifted with her presence for almost five years, and this past week, we said good-bye (for now) as she continues her journey at Boston University.

Ana, we have learned so much from you, and you have inspired so many youth and adults. Best of luck at BU - they are so lucky to have you!

Winooski Youth Meet with United States Representative Becca Balint!

UP for Learning Youth Interns, Mea Ree Jan and Auishma Pradhan, met with newly sworn-in US Representative Becca Balint on Wednesday, January 18th, at the Winooski School District office. Balint was visiting Winooski to tour the renovated school, as well as to meet with and hear from youth. They discussed a wide array of topics, including the work of the Winooski Antiracism Steering Committee and Action Teams, youth and adult mental health, as well as Balint's road to becoming the first female US Representative from Vermont. We are incredibly inspired by the passion of these three leaders!

Spotlight on Youth Voice & Leadership

Youth-Adult Teams Make Strides Towards Sustainability

“Inspired.” “Don’t give up.” Empowered youth.” “Joy.” These were just some of the feelings expressed in the group word cloud at the close of the virtual Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability (CPS) retreat on January 11th. Youth and adults from the Kopila Valley School in Nepal, the Piney Woods School in Mississippi, Madison County School in Georgia, as well as Harwood Middle School, Burke Town School, and Georgia Elementary and Middle School in Vermont gathered to share updates on their projects, as well as learn more about youth-adult partnership and the Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) process.

Middletown Springs Elementary School Youth Focus on School Climate and Culture

As part of a grant through Proj ect AWARE VT (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education Vermont), a dedicated youth-adult team at Middletown Springs Elementary School met on November 29th and December 9th to make meaning of their PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Support) school climate survey data from this October, while comparing it to data from the past two years. The 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students gathered with their classroom teachers, principal, and Local Education Agency (LEA) coordinator to identify what they see as top strengths and top concerns in the data, and brainstormed potential root causes and solutions to address areas of concern.

UP in the News

An article in the Colchester Sun reports on how Colchester High School youth and adults has partnered with UP for Learning to make lasting changes in diversity, equity, and inclusion in their school community!

On December 28th, members of several CHS social justice clubs met with UP for a day-long retreat at Champlain College to build community, make action plans to tackle issues they care about, as well as share feedback on the district equity policy with school administrators.

UPcoming Events

The Next Racial Justice Dialogue is on:

Wednesday, February 16th from 9:30 am - 10:45 am EST!

Additional Opportunities for Youth and Adults

Trailblazers , a student-driven e-magazine about the Education Transformation Movement, needs contributors!

For each new issue, the Trailblazers team seeks out "Spotlight Learners" from around the world to share their unique voices on the topic of transforming education. Issue 11 will be out in February - submit your article soon!

We intentionally try to not set a “theme” for each new magazine issue because we want the articles to be authentic; we want young learners to share whatever it is that they feel driven to talk about, not what someone else prompts them to talk about. We work individually with each learner throughout the writing process to amplify their voice while striving to create an issue that provides a diverse mix of commentary on the current education paradigm.

Learn more about Trailblazers

Interested in contributing to Trailblazers? Let us know!

Register to Attend the Annual Vermont Association of Middle Level Education (VAMLE) Conference on March 14th!

VAMLE’s mission is to inform and guide all stakeholders dedicated to making education relevant and successful for Vermont’s 10-15 year olds.

Each spring, VAMLE hosts a state-wide conference at Champlain College, featuring workshops designed and facilitated by middle school youth! This year's theme is Beyond Bullying: Creating Communities of Equity and Respect in Learning Communities, and two of our UP for Learning Middle Level teams will be presenting.

Registration closes February 24th, so sign up soon!