Role: Co-director

Client: California Humanities CIVICS + HUMANITIES MIDDLE GRADES GRANT PROGRAM

Timeframe: May 2023-September 2024

Grant Awarded: $15,000 from California Humanities CIVICS + HUMANITIES MIDDLE GRADES GRANT PROGRAM

Overview: Co-directed the development and implementation of a comprehensive, arts-based social justice storytelling curriculum tailored for middle school students, funded by California Humanities, awarded to East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, Voice of Witness, and Youth UnMuted. This 14-lesson program aimed to deepen empathy and engagement with the human experience of migration and resettlement, leveraging ASV's wealth of multimedia migration stories.

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Situation

Middle school students face a significant gap in accessing firsthand narratives of forcibly displaced individuals, hindering their ability to engage meaningfully with complex social justice issues such as migration. Despite being in a pivotal developmental stage, these students are often overlooked in educational initiatives focusing on such topics. However, it is precisely during this critical period that they are primed to comprehend and integrate these concepts, shaping their perspectives and decision-making regarding societal engagement.

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Our Approach

Launch Activities

• Project Planning: Met with humanities advisors to finalize project planning and refine content.

• Launch Workshop: Conducted a workshop with the advisory committee, current middle school students, and key partners.

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Curriculum Development

• Resource Guide: Finalized the ASV Resource Guide for Middle School Educators, aligning it with California standards.

• Lesson Plans: Developed and finalized lesson plans, activities, and multimedia materials, ensuring adherence to California educational standards.

• Facilitated a visit to an exhibit on the history of the sanctuary movement and climate migration to supplement curriculum content.

 

Implementation and Expansion

• Materials Upload: Uploaded materials to the ASV website.

• Partnerships: Developed new partnerships with middle school teachers 

• Educator Briefing: Hosted an online educator briefing to share tools.

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Final Evaluation and Reporting

• Evaluation Workshop: Conducted a final workshop with the Youth Advisory Committee for evaluation.

• Final Reporting: Completed final evaluation and reporting.

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Grant Period-Long Activities

• Feedback Collection: Collected feedback from educators and students after every session.

• Advisor Meetings: Held meetings with humanities advisors for interim feedback.

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Curriculum Highlights

• Introduction to ASV & Migration

• Displaced Voices: A 360 VR Experience

• Media, Rhetoric, and Bias

• Now You Hear Us Podcast

• Storyteller’s Circle Reflection Activity

• Voice of Witness: Ethical Interviewing

• Ethical Interviewing Preparation

• Personal Stories of Forced Displacement

• Sanctuary Movement Exploration

• Field Trip to Explore Forced Migration

• Field Trip Reflection

• Youth UnMuted's Online Magazine Exploration

• Empowering Civic Engagement Workshop

• Voices of Resilience - Reflective Narratives

• Declaring My Commitment to Civic Engagement 

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Results

• Increased Understanding: Students gained empathy, critical thinking, and civic engagement skills through workshops, field trips, and multimedia projects.

• Teen Leadership: The youth advisory board empowered students to lead, create, and adapt curricular materials, fostering leadership skills.

• Cultural Sensitivity: Collaborated with Indigenous Mam partners to ensure cultural sensitivity and accuracy in curriculum modules.

• Accessibility for Educators: Made materials accessible to educators throughout California via the ASV website, enhancing access to migration stories and fostering an inclusive classroom environment.

• Awareness and Civic Engagement: Students became more aware of local immigrant-serving organizations and expressed a commitment to supporting immigrant communities and advocating for social justice.

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The Amplifying Sanctuary Voices Exploring Migration Project successfully promoted empathy, understanding, and civic engagement among middle school students. By providing access to age-appropriate stories of immigrants and asylum seekers, the project fostered a more inclusive and informed society, demonstrating the impact of arts-based social justice education in shaping empathetic and socially conscious future citizens.