Twenty-sixth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

Schools rarely give room for authentic student voice, student agency and tangible opportunities for them to become effective change agents. Three years ago, an Ethiopian refugee student stood up in my class and voiced her pain at the empathy and shock expressed when a terror attack hit Paris, when her home town was hit by terrorism and civil war almost daily with no interest or care shown by her fellow students. Her bravery in expressing this openly in class led to a strong and somewhat angry reaction by her classmates. A few students however came together and approached me asking for an opportunity to try and change perceptions and behaviour and from this the Human Rights Group was born. Since this time students have led changes to the school uniform to embrace gender diversity, have created legacy experiences that are embedded into the school calendar such as, student panels discussing homophobia, sexism, racism and their impacts. They have partnered with local community groups to grow awareness around the dangers of giving birth in the third world and fundraising and packing birthing kits for these women. Currently the group is using footage of student interviews where they discuss their roles as perpetrators, bystanders or victims to run workshops with year 8 students. While there were many obstacles, these were used as opportunities to practice protest and advocacy. In sharing this journey a model for student engagement and activism will be presented that leads to civic engagement that transforms the school itself.