Abolition

 What ideas here feel close, like you can touch them? What ideas feel far away/ hard to wrap your mind around/ impossible? What does this have to do with youth work? With social justice? With your daily practice?

When I hear the word abolition, I feel like it is completely out of my reach. It makes me think of abolishing slavery, that was a huge movement and I feel like abolition work is something that is way bigger than me. I know that this mindset seems closed off, but I am willing to start having conversations and begin to educate myself more on abolition and steps I can take to dismantle some systems within my place of work. 

I loved the cosmic possibilities the youth guide to abolition. It felt safe, warm and a way for different types of learners to engage with the material and ideas in a thoughtful, creative and fun way! I think I may print this out and chip away at it over the course of winter break so I can move through the material and learn in a different way. I may use this workbook model for ways in which I connect and educate my students. 

I think it is hard to wrap my head around abolishing schools, but I do not think it is that radical. There are so many barriers within our education system that it does makes sense to some degree. I also grew up going to catholic school and then in a predominantly white school district for middle school and high school. I believe that it is not the schools that need to be abolished but rather the systems. If schools stood alone, I believe they could do amazing things for our youth. 

I know that I have a voice, but I forget to use it sometimes. Sometimes I feel like I do not have the words to speak how I feel or sometimes I do not feel like I can speak on a topic because I do not know much about it. I am working on it. I am having conversations and I am asking questions. I am learning and growing.