Ella Baker said that when facing a system that doesn’t lend itself to your needs you must devise ways to change that system. We as young people feel that the public education system needs to work for all children and that it should help to prepare us to be citizens of this country and of the world. We feel that it is our duty to help young people understand how current institutions and systems are or are not working on our behalf and to support and challenge these institutions and systems to function in the way they were intended. Part of this means helping young people to develop the frame of mind, depth of understanding, and conviction to be able to function and operate as independent thinkers within the context of institutions and systems. Part of this means preparing young people to lead, organize and take action to transform systems that aren’t working.
By engaging young people in critical analysis of their local educational conditions and determining ways to take action - producing videos and other visual media, and organizing youth forums around quality education - YPP continues to be unique in its efforts to engage young people in using math literacy work as a foundation for organizing for educational and social change. Math literacy work, as conceived by YPP, has important intrinsic, educational, intellectual, and social value for the students it engages; and because it involves young people in taking ownership over helping to address the needs of an educational system that in many ways is not meeting their needs, it uniquely empowers young people to be able to authentically participate in efforts to challenge, change, and improve their schools and communities.
Quality Education as a Constitutional Right (QECR) is a national organizing effort that works with students, parents, teachers, school administrators, public officials, legal experts, and community members to transform American public education into an international model of excellence for all of America’s students. Through local organizing strategies that are school and community based, QECR seeks to build popular support and political will for a Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing all children the right to an education that supports them to fully develop and use their talent, skills, and intelligence to fulfill their dreams and contribute to the betterment of their communities, the nation, and the world.
For more info contact National Coordinator, Jessy Molina @ jessy.molina@yahoo.com.