The Just Transition Summer Project

T.S. Elliot

At the end of the program we held a community banquet with Maypop, summer participants, and members of the partner organizations involved in the project. Maypop and participants cooked all the food for the event using beloved family recipes. At the banquet, Maypop and participants told the story of the project, partner organizations got to connect with one another, and the event ended with a little dancing.

Nora shares stories and highlights from the study space of the Young People's Just Transition Project at the YPJTP Community Banquet.

Lauren shares experiences working with her partner organization, the New Sanctuary Movement, and lessons learned at the YPJTP Community Banquet.

Eva shares her work with her partner organization, the Art Factory, and the importance of cultural organizing at the YPJTP Community Banquet.

Chloe shares experiences from the support space of the Young People's Just Transition Project at the YPJTP Community Banquet

2. When youth are presented with new forms of storytelling, that they easily step up and contend with the political and social realities of our world. While youth are at times challenging of authority and resistant to working hard, youth also have beautiful wisdom and humbling stories when their voices are given platforms to shine. 

At our last Tuesday Support Space these three questions were the prompts for some arts-n-crafts time. We each created our own pieces using materials like paint, markers, and collage, and shared them with the group at the end of the session.

After standing with hotel workers at the Radisson picket, we joined public education advocates outside of Governor Corbett’s office. None of our public officials in Philadelphia are doing all they can to make sure our schools are fully funded- and young Philadelphians deserve so much better. Watch the amazing Youth United for Change (Lavanya’s partner organization!) show the Governor he cannot crush their spirits.

"Autobiography of An Activist (Revised)"

Many of us supported hotel workers by joining their picket outside the Radisson on August 1 demanding job security and a fair contract. Watch one hotel worker speak about her resolve to continue fighting for the respect she deserves. One chant from the picket stuck with us throughout the summer program: "Are you worth it?" "Yes, yes I am!"

How do we share, lift up, and create spaces for healing that also offer opportunities for economic empowerment? How is this work happening through Black Woman's Bluprint?

Throughout the summer, we had a series of skill shares, workshops, and field trips outside of our typical meeting spaces that we called "pop up events." In this picture Sachie is sharing the skills she's gained working with the New Economy Coalition by leading a workshop in story-based strategy for the summer program. In the workshop, we examined the power of narrative by translating stories like the fight for public education into fairy tales. We learned the currency of story is meaning not truth and discussed the significance of framing in the way stories are told. Check out the incredible Center for Story-based Strategy to learn more about harnessing the power of narrative for social change.

...We are in the early stages of what is likely to be a lengthy and complex struggle to determine whether capital will be successful in its efforts to force labor (i.e. people throughout the world, to bear the costs of building a new energy system, or whether labor (i.e. social and ecological struggles throughout the world) is able to force capital to bear these costs.  This struggle is already becoming central in shaping social relationships, and is likely to become ever more so in the coming years." ~Koly Abramsky, Sparking a Worldwide Energy Revolution: Social Struggles in the Transition to a Post-Petrol World

#TBT to showing solidarity with York Prison detainees at the New Sanctuary Movement action earlier this summer

At the end of the program we held a community banquet with Maypop, summer participants, and members of the partner organizations involved in the project. Maypop and participants cooked all the food for the event using beloved family recipes. At the banquet, Maypop and participants told the story of the project, partner organizations got to connect with one another, and the event ended with a little dancing.

Fun together