PRAXIS Youth Organizing Conference
October 16-18, 2020 | Via Zoom
“Liberation is a praxis: the action and reflection of people, upon their world, in order to transform it.” -Paulo Freire
PRAXIS Youth Organizing Conference is a conference for youth ages 12-21 to explore, learn, network and collaborate on community organizing and social justice issues. The conference is focused on supporting existing youth groups and inspiring new ones to emerge. This will happen through workshops, student and youth group presentations, and keynote sessions. The academic model used during this conference will challenge students to engage in critical thinking around issues facing them, their communities and the world today.
The theme of this year’s PRAXIS conference is “Joining Forces”. Joining Forces means prioritizing the development of new relationships and partnerships in social justice and organizing spaces as a way to build power in our networks. PRAXIS will stress the importance of how ordinary people, and most importantly youth, can collectively create (through vision and action) a more just world that we want to live in.
As people across the world have been rising up in the face of constant police violence and systemic racism during a global pandemic, the interconnections between movements for racial, economic, and environmental justice are clear. These interconnections show us all the urgent need to build solidarity and join forces. We recognize that creating spaces for young people to come together and organize are as precious as ever.
2020 SCHEDULE!
(All times are Arizona/Mountain Time)
Saturday, October 17th
11:30 – 12:00 pm — Opening, logistics, welcome
12:00 – 1:15 pm — SESSION 1: Workshops
Policy & Partnerships for Justice — Student Board of Education – Denver, Colorado
The Power of Oral History: Preserving Our Ancestral Knowledge and Their Memory — Changemaker High School – Tucson, Arizona
unMASKing Healthy Relationships — Ever Forward—Siempre Adelante – Oakland, California
1:30 – 2:45 pm — SESSION 2: Workshops
Unity Against the School to Prison Pipeline — Young African American & Latinx Leaders (YAALL) – Denver, Colorado
LGBTQ+ Awareness — Mexicayotl Academy of Excellence – Tucson, Arizona
How to talk to your peers when they use a slur & how teens are organizing in Prescott AZ — The Launch Pad Teen Center – Prescott, Arizona
Reproductive Barriers, Rights, & Services — El Rio Reproductive Health Access Project – Tucson, AZ
3:45 – 4:45 pm — PANEL: Ethnic Studies & Youth Organizing
5:00 – 6:00 pm — Keynote: Melanie Gleason
Sunday, October 18th
11:00 am – 12:15 pm — Keynote: Gabriella Cázares-Kelly
12:30 – 1:45 pm — SESSION 4: Workshops
La Raza Se Organiza: Saving Ethnic Studies in the 707 — Legacy Youth Project – Napa, California
Why Students Should be at the Center of their Education: How to build an Ethnic Studies Program at Your School — Santa Ana High School Ethnic Studies – Santa Ana, California
The Youth-Led Movement for Black Lives & Racial Justice — Washington NAACP Youth Council – Seattle, Washington
2:15 – 3:15 pm — Reflection & Strategy Breakout Sessions
3:15 – 3:30 pm — Report Back & Closing
CALL FOR PROPOSALS:
Call for proposals is now closed.
REGISTER FOR PRAXIS 2020:
Although the shift to a virtual setting due to COVID-19 means our time together will look different, we are hopeful that this years’ conference will be accessible to more participants than would have been otherwise possible! Click here to register by Thursday, October 15th!
Please note, PRAXIS is a youth-led and organized conference for young people (12-21) to learn from each other and build networks. Adults are welcome to attend and listen, we just ask that you respect the intention of the space and center the youth participants during any interactive activities/workshops.
MAKE A DONATION
PRAXIS is free for youth to attend! Please consider supporting us in keeping this conference as accessible as possible by making a tax-deductible donation.