Reimagining Youth Work

The final episode of the season explores the heart of community work with Dr. David Stovall. He talks about his experiences engaging in community work, the divestment happening in Chicago communities, and the lack of investment in schools from philanthropy. A great finale and a must listen to end my first podcast season.

David Stovall, Ph.D. is Professor of African-American Studies and Criminology, Law & Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). His scholarship investigates three areas 1) Critical Race Theory, 2) the relationship between housing and education, and 3) the intersection of race, place and school. In the attempt to bring theory to action, he works with community organizations and schools to develop curriculum that address issues of equity and justice. His work led him to become a member of the design team for the Greater Lawndale/Little Village School for Social Justice (SOJO), which opened in the Fall of 2005. Furthering his work with communities, students, and teachers, his work manifests itself in his involvement with the Peoples Education Movement, a collection of classroom teachers, community members, students and university professors in Chicago, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area who engage in collaborative community projects centered in creating relevant curriculum. In addition to his duties and responsibilities as a professor at UIC, he also served as a volunteer social studies teacher at the Greater Lawndale/Little Village School for Social Justice from 2005-2018.

This episode explores authenticity in the work, the importance of showing up for young people, and why youth development has to be global. Atrayus shares his own experiences with mentoring, talks about how he shows up in youth development work and also reminds us of the need to be bold and unapologetic in our work.

Atrayus Goode is the President and CEO of MENTOR North Carolina and founder of Movement of Youth (MOY). Atrayus has vast experiences working within community and youth serving organizations as well as global experience, including consulting in South Africa with Vuleka Schools; leading all-Black delegations to Cuba with Witness for Peace to examine historical and present-day Cuban realities through a lens focused on race, gender, and other aspects of Cuban identity; and traveling to Palestine/Israel with Interfaith Peace Builders to explore Palestinian and Israeli efforts to achieve peace with justice and investigate issues of detention and incarceration, the Israeli military court system, and political prisoners.

He is also co-Chair of My Brother's and Sister's Keeper (MBSK) Orange County, Member of the National Public Policy Committee of the 100 Black Men of America, and Chair of the National Board of Directors of Witness for Peace. 

Follow Atrayus on Social Media:

Twitter: @Atrayus

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atrayus/

I talk about the importance of creating a global village with Tessy Ojo. This episode, featuring the chief executive of The Diana Award, a U.K. based non-profit, explores critical youth work from a global perspective, highlighting the importance of thinking beyond the American context and looking closely at what young people need from us as a global village. Tessy brings a caring a dynamic take to the podcast and explains the importance of understanding BAME or Black, Asian and minority ethnic youth populations in the U.K.

About Tessy: Tessy Ojo is the Chief Executive of the Diana Award – a charity legacy to Diana, Princess of Wales’ belief that young people have the power to change the world. The Diana Award’s mission is to foster, develop and inspire positive change in the lives of young people. The charity benefits from the support of The Royal Highnesses, Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as the UK Prime Minister as a Patron.

Tessy is a passionate and practical campaigner who has gained an international reputation for ‘fostering positive change in the lives of young people’ ‘and the impact it has on communities around them. At the heart of her work is the belief that with the right support and investment, young people are the best instigators for achieving real, sustainable change in their lives, their communities and the lives of their peers.

Tessy has a first degree in Biochemistry, an MBA and a post grad diploma in Counselling. She is married and has two children.

Find her on social media:

Twitter: @Ttall

Instagram: tessyojo

This episode explores the concept of abolitionist thinking in relation to youth work. Dr. Bettina Love shares her own story of being collectively raised by her Rochester New York community, how she talks to her own children about racial injustice and how we all need to be grounded in an abolitionist, equity, joy and justice centered framework.

Dr. Bettina L. Love is an award-winning author and the Athletic Association Endowed Professor at the University of Georgia. She is one of the field’s most esteemed educational researchers. Her writing, research, teaching, and activism meet at the intersection of race, education, abolition, and Black joy. Dr. Love is concerned with how educators working with parents and communities can build communal, civically engaged schools rooted in Abolitionist Teaching with the goal of intersectional social justice for equitable classrooms that love and affirm Black and Brown children. In 2020, Dr. Love co-founded the Abolitionist Teaching Network (ATN). ATN’s mission is simple: develop and support teachers and parents to fight injustice within their schools and communities. In 2020, Dr. Love was also named a member of the Old 4th Ward Economic Security Task Force with the Atlanta City Council. 

Check out Dr. Love's work here: https://bettinalove.com/ and check out the Abolitionist Teaching Network here: https://abolitionistteachingnetwork.org/

Follow Dr. Love and the Abolitionist Teaching Network on social

Twitter: @blovesoulpower and @ATN_1863

Instagram: @blovesoulpower and @atn_1863

This episode explores the concept of building for self through the life and work of Sadiq Ali in Baltimore. We discuss his own coming of age story and the work he watched his elders do in the community. We also talk about what it looks like for a community to "do for self" while acknowledging the historical roots of that concept and hoping to be the bridge for the next generation who will need to do the same.

Sadiq Ali, MBA, is a 5 time author, speaker, professor, mentor consultant, social entrepreneur, coach, trainer and supporter of young people. Through his organizations, Maryland MENTOR and Millionaire Manners Academy, every year he speaks to, trains and works with thousands of students, parents, educators, mentors and program leaders who are determined to get more from their work and life. He can be reached on social media @TheSadiqAliShow.

Website: http://www.sadiqali.com/

Follow Sadiq on social:

Twitter: thesadiqalishow

Instagram: thesadiqalishow

An "in-house" conversation with two Youth Mentoring Action Network staff, this episode is a discussion about the critical mentoring and youth work done here at the Youth Mentoring Action Network, how we see our selves, how we see our work and what we are trying to contribute to the field of mentoring and youth development. Highlighting our Director of Training and Outreach, Cade Maldonado, as well as our Director of Programs, Isabella Chavez, we openly discuss our approach, our values, our politics and how we vision the future of youth work.

Cade Maldonado is a native Angelino and is dedicated to applying theory to practice in the youth development field. Before joining YMAN and completing his M.Ed., Cade managed the CASA Pitzer Academic Program and Community Space for three years, engaged in both research and organizing work ranging from youth mentoring to immigration to environmental justice. He now maintains and runs all of YMAN’s outreach and training efforts in the Inland Empire and nationally.

Isabella Chavez serves as the Youth Mentoring Action Network’s Program Director. As Program Director, Isabella oversees the various programs and events hosted by YMAN. As a protege of Dr. Torie Weiston- Serdan and product of ‘The Network’, Isabella is uniquely situated to speak on the ‘real-life’ effects of a critical mentoring relationship as elaborated in Critical Mentoring: a Practical Guide. Isabella has a BA in Public Policy from UC Riverside as well as a community fellowship with Claremont McKenna College covering research and data collection for social change.

Cade's Instagram: @thirtyfivemillimetercadence

This episode is a compelling discussion with Dr. Elizabeth Santiago about why it's important for young people to own their narratives. Through the telling of her own story, Dr. Santiago helps us to understand why it can be harmful to tokenize young people, why students of color require support navigating higher education spaces, and how her own story influences her game-changing work at MENTOR.

Dr. Elizabeth Santiago is the Chief Program Officer for MENTOR. In this role, she is responsible for and actively involved in the management of programs and services for a wide range of stakeholders. She works with a team to implement a continuous quality improvement process throughout the program and service areas, focusing on systems and process improvement. Prior to MENTOR, Elizabeth gained extensive experience in program management and development, instructional design, curriculum development, training and professional development with organizations such as Jobs for the Future, Simmons College, Babson College, Houghton Mifflin, and World Education. She has specific experience in working with vulnerable or marginalized youth and the systems and people that serve them. She has taught high school equivalency courses within school districts, community-based organizations and through unions, and managed the GED/high school equivalency program at the Harriet Tubman House in Boston, MA. She has also built a professional development service for teachers and principals designing education programs for first generation college goers. Elizabeth earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College and a Master’s degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, Technology, Innovation and Education Program. She recently earned her PhD in education studies at Lesley University.

Follow Elizabeth on Social Media

Twitter: @esantiagoMENTOR

Check out MENTOR The National Mentoring Partnership: https://www.mentoring.org/

This powerful episode explores the intensity and power of youth organizing with Pomona based organizer and executive director, Jesus Sanchez. We discuss the liberatory work of his organization, Gente Organizada and what it took for them to accomplish their own #defundthepolice campaign in Pomona last year. Critical for our time, listen to this episode to understand the importance of training and resourcing young people as they fight for change.

Jesus Sanchez is an educator, organizer and community activist. He is founder of the Pomona based organization, Gente Organizada, a community-led social action non-profit organization based in Pomona whose mission is to bring together generations to access, build, and wield their collective power to achieve educational, economic, and social justice in our communities.

Jesus has worked closely with lawmakers, education officials, higher education leaders and teachers unions to implement critical programs, policies, and reforms to improve conditions for students, parents, and educators. Jesus has extensive knowledge in grassroots organizing, leadership and strategy development, college and career readiness, and youth development.

Find out more about the work of Gente Organizada: https://www.genteorganizada.org/

Learn about their #defundthepolice win last year: https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/09/12/pomona-unified-reallocates-2-million-to-programs-for-high-need-students/

And how their recent work: https://www.publicadvocates.org/righttoresources/ is fueling new movements: https://www.aclusocal.org/en/press-releases/massive-neglect-black-and-brown-students-alleged-san-bernardino-precedent-setting

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genteforgente/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genteorganizada/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnGqGF4FLxl3xKT2zAhNz1Q

This episode is a dynamic discussion with Marcus Strother, the first CEO of MENTOR CA. We discuss his current work caring for "our babies", his personal coming of age story and the work he will be leading as CEO of MENTOR CA. We also had a n important discussion about how health and wellness should be centered in all the youth work we are doing, as we support young people in the process of healing.

Marcus L. Strother is a father, husband, educator and a youth and community advocate. A 22- year veteran in the education field, spending 17 years in Illinois before relocating to Sacramento, California a little over five years ago, Marcus spent 8 years as a classroom teacher, and 9 years as a high school administrator. Marcus is the Chief Executive Officer of the newly formed MENTOR CA.

You can find out more about Marcus' work here: https://www.lifedatamatters.com/

Connect to the emerging MENTOR CA: https://www.mentoring.org/mentor-california/

Follow Marcus on Social Media

Twitter: @MarcusLStrother

Instagram: @marcuslstrother