International Seminar:
Amplifying Student Voice and Partnership
June 26-28, 2018

Participants in the third International Seminar on Student Voice and Partnership share a deep belief that elevating the role of young people in their learning and in the school redesign process itself is essential to the future of education. To this end, they are ardent advocates of student voice and partnership in their respective and intersecting realms of youth activism, research, policy, teacher preparation, educational leadership, funding, and organizations working for educational transformation.

Only when we build bridges among our unique stakeholder worlds will we be able to find the “sweet spot” that best informs and inspires our practices, fosters collaboration, and synergistically advances this movement. Advocacy work to amplify youth voice too often occurs in isolation. This fragmentation precludes tapping into the collective wisdom of others who are on a different route to the same destination.

Throughout the three days, we will have the opportunity to share stories as advocates for a fundamental culture shift in youth and adults partnering together for change:

• When have we been successful in furthering this culture shift?
• Where have we met obstacles?
• What practice-based and research-based work can help to support this work?
• What are the gaps and dilemmas that require more investigation and/or action?

This conference invites both youth and adult advocates in this partnership to examine their own roles and gain insight into the varied contributions of others. We will mobilize multiple perspectives to explore our dilemmas in a rich learning and sharing community.  And we will seek common ground on which to further our collective vision through stronger networks and enhanced resources.

“When human beings gather in groups, a depth of awareness and insight, a transcendent knowing, becomes available to us that, when accessed, can lead to profound action. We call this transcendent knowing collective wisdom. This knowing is not of the mind alone, nor is it of any individual alone. When this knowing and sense of right action emerges, it does so from deep within the individual participants, from within the collective awareness of the group, and from within the larger field that holds the group.”   

— From John Ott and Rose Pinard’s forthcoming Leadership for Collective Wisdom

Web address: blog.uvm.edu/stuvoice

Hashtag: stuvoice