Notepad

Hey Sven, thanks for thinking of me! I've been seeing more of these types of articles coming down the pipes, and while they are good in terms of recognizing the "power" of young people, I am concerned about the real intention behind them. Let me explain.

I'm finishing up the "Meaningful Student Involvement" series - I gave you the first one, right? There are 3 more - a resource guide, a story book, and a literature/research review.

I've read a bit by this education professor named George Counts. Over sixty years ago he wrote about the tendency of so-called "progressive" teachers to romanticize the view of students in schools. These teachers would paint pictures of "democratic" classrooms, where students were busily engaged in inductive learning and intense intellectual exchanges. These teachers supposedly honored “student voice,” ownership, and meaning-making over rote memorization. Sounds good, right?

Counts ripped this imaginary world apart, criticizing the teachers for their lack of interest in the actual realities many students face in their schools and communities. He said that what the teachers were doing was actually manipulating students into believing they had some measure of power; but because this existed nowhere else in these young people's worlds, it was a ruse, at best. At worst it perpetuated the oppression the students faced, further corraborating the inability of young people to participate in social change.

Ah, voting. Who are young people going to vote for? Why should they vote for that person? How can young people, as an electorate body, hold politicians accountable? I'm afraid that by advocating young people to put their faith in democracy in voting, these kinds of articles will do nothing more than perpetuate the cynicism a lot of young people face towards democratic participation - particularly if another 2000-type voting fraud happens.

There is a gaping wound in the face of democracy Sven, and without romanticizing reality, the hope of young people is leaking out. I don't think voting is the answer, and I'm a little leary of people who advocate it as such (the author of the article, not you!)

But now what, my friend?

Oh, and one more thought: My work is brought to life by commitments to and hopes for radical democracy. By democracy, I mean what John Dewey called a way of life—a way of life that embodies a generous belief in the possibilities of human nature and that entails the obligation to work to create the conditions that would allow human capacities to develop and flourish. While it entails the polling place, hat obligation extends far beyond the voting booth. It extends into the heart of our everyday lives: transporation, education, health, community living, governance, and social interactions.

I begin to hint at this in meaningful student involvement: instead of seeing the student as a mere "learner" in schools, I propose that students can be (and are already) planners, researchers, teachers, evaluators, decision-makers, and advocates in schools.

In our communities? Young people have 100s of roles: family members, sisters, daughters, sons, brothers; neighbors, friends; democrats (in the active sense of the word), members, leaders, followers; and dozens more.

Radical democracy is the intersection between activity and purpose; a juncture where either trains collide in the night, or friends meet during the day. The where and when are unclear, and that's why YL is squarely central to radical democracy: YL is an immediate, urgent struggle that demands collective action for the common good of all people.

That's where I wanna be. In the immediate, urgent struggle for the common good of all people.

I disagree with your first post, Adam.

I fail to see the harm in having an enclave of democracy and rights in an otherwise autocratic world. I sure know I would have benefited greatly from being in such a school, and perhaps seeing the contrast between it and my life outside of the school would motivate me to go and do something about it.

Most revolutions and reforms occur not simply because the oppressed just get fed up with their situation. If they expect to be treated like dirt, and they are, then they aren't upset. Change occurs when they expect something much more and don't get it. Giving youth a taste of freedom in a free school would raise their expectations to the point where they would no longer be content about the discrimination they face in the outside world, and they would organize to do something about it. I think this should be a source of hope.

And if there is something wrong with voting, what do you suggest?

(and why can't we have these discussions on the YR Leader List?)