On Blast

Harsh disciplinary policies, such as zero tolerance, contribute to the school to prison pipeline by criminalizing students and pushing them out of school. Restorative practices, on the other hand, offer an opportunity to repair & move forward after a problem arises, keeping more students engaged in their education.

For almost a decade, Padres y Jóvenes Unidos (Parents and Youth United) have been working to change the school system in Denver, Colorado by implementing restorative practices instead of zero tolerance policies. The parents and students organizing to make these changes succeeded in winning a new discipline policy for their school district. After a year of this new policy, which guarantees students' rights, schools have seen dramatic improvements in school climate and a large reduction of violent incidents.

Dan Jones interviewed Lalo Montoya (pictured) of Padres y Jóvenes Unidos to learn more about their strategies and successes.

During PSU's summer leadership program, Building A Youth Movement (BAYM), students hit the streets to ask people their opinions about public education in Philly. There were a lot of different thoughts about the problems and the solutions for our school district. Students took these answers and created this Vox Pop. Listen and see if you agree with what Philly residents had to say.

Carina Flaherty, Tatiana Griffin and Dan Jones recorded and produced this piece.

Shakoya Patterson visited theCoalition of Immokalee Workers' Modern Day Slavery Museum when it came to Philadelphia earlier this month. She interviewed farmworkers who are members of the Coalition of Immokalee (CIW), who spoke about the recent cases of farmworker slavery that have surfaced in Florida and elsewhere. CIW members also spoke about the everyday conditions that farmworkers face, and explained how the CIW is organizing to end all forms of worker mistreatment.

This piece was produced by Shakoya Patterson.

On this month's show:

Highlights and victories from PSU's '09-'10 school year

Connecting the struggles of students and taxi workers

Students from Philly and Harrisburg talk about ending violence

Youth express themsleves through poetry

Music and education news

This show was hosted by Azeem Hill and Gregory Jordan-Detamore. Matt Johnson was the engineer.

On Wednesday June 30th, the Philadelphia Parking Authority and Immigration and Customs Enforcement lured 26 taxi drivers to the PPA headquarters by telling them that they were to be reimbursed for previous credit card transactions. Instead, they were met with handcuffs and were immediately detained. There are still four drivers being held.

This kind of harassment, especially when looked at alongside the long hours and constant mistreatment faced by taxi drivers, constitutes a form of structural violence similar to the kind faced by young people in our schools and communities.

Rising Freshman and Student Union member Shania Morris spoke at a prayer vigil held for the detained drivers.

Student Union's week-long leadership institute BAYM (Building A Youth Movement) is entering into its 7th year. The program includes political education, leadership development and media trainings. BAYM is youth developed, youth driven, and youth facilitated. The program is 100% free, and participants will be provided with breakfast, lunch and tokens.

Building A Youth Movement Leadership Institute August 9th to August 13th 10am-4pmPhiladelphia Student Union office4205 Chestnut St. Philadelphia, PA 19104Pre-registration is recommended. Register now!

This collection of poetry features original pieces by PSU Members Shania Morris, Justin Carter & Tatianna Griffin (right). Produced by Justin Carter.

Philly Student Union had a powerful year. As the school year comes to a close, we created this montage to capture the highlights of the 2009-2010 school year. Thanks to all of the people who helped make this school year so successful and congratulations to all of our graduating members!

Members of PSU recently traveled to Harrisburg PA to meet with students from Harrisburg's William Penn High School and engage them in our Campaign for Nonviolent Schools and our Campaign for Equitable School Funding. We led a participatory workshop that explored the root causes of violence in our schools and communities. We also talked about conditions inside our schools, and students from both Philly and Harrisburg agreed that underfunding of schools is a root cause of many of the problems we face. By sharing our experiences, students came to the realization the problems we see in our schools are not isolated to our own districts; that the struggle for a high quality education is a statewide struggle.

In this piece, we hear from some Harrisburg students about how they view violence and how the Nonviolence workshop changed their perceptions of this issue. Cherelle Reed conducted the interviews, Justin Carter recorded the narration, and Greg Jordan-Detamore edited this piece.

On this month's show:

PSU brings 100 students together for a nonviolent flash mob in Center City (Watch video)

Students stand in solidarity with Temple nurses & techs on the picket line

Temple University Health System tries to limit college access for union members' kids

Homeless people organize for the human right to housing in NYC

Plus music and local education news.

This show was hosted by Greg Jordan-Detamore & Shania Morris. Dan Jones engineered.