Annual PRAXIS Youth Organizing Conference "Joining Forces" Set for October 17-18, 2020
Conference Provides Forum for Youth to Engage in Collective Movement-Building While Exploring Topics of Social Justice, Community Organizing, and Racial Justice
TUCSON, Ariz., Oct. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The PRAXIS Youth Organizing Conference, an annual event hosted by K-20 Changemaker Campus (a collaboration between Prescott College, Mexicayotl Academy, and Changemaker High School) is set to take place October 17-18, 2020. PRAXIS, which will be held virtually via Zoom this year, is free and open to the public.
Designed for youth ages 12-21, the theme of this year's PRAXIS conference is "Joining Forces," which prioritizes the development of new relationships and partnerships in social justice and organizing spaces as a way to build power in our networks. PRAXIS will focus on the importance of how ordinary people and, most importantly, youth can collectively create (through vision and action) a more just world in which to live.
Conference participants will explore, learn, network and collaborate on community organizing and social justice issues with a focus on supporting existing youth groups and inspiring new ones to emerge. Through workshops, student and youth group presentations, and keynote sessions, the conference's academic model is designed to challenge students to engage in critical thinking around issues facing them, their communities, and the world today.
"As people across the world have been rising up to fight for racial justice during a global pandemic, the interconnections between movements for racial, economic, and environmental justice are clear," stated Dr. Anita Fernández, Director of the M.A. program in Social Justice & Community Organizing at Prescott College. "These interconnections show us all the urgent need to build solidarity and join forces. We recognize that creating spaces for young people to come together and organize are as critical as ever."
This year's keynote speakers include immigration rights attorney Melanie Gleason, who runs a pro bono project for asylum seekers called Attorney on the Move, and public voices fellow with The OpEd Project, and Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, educator, community organizer and member of the Tohono O'odham Nation and candidate for Pima County Recorder.
Additional information and a schedule of events can be found accessed at https://k20tucson.org/praxis/.
Youth who wish to attend PRAXIS can register here: https://airtable.com/shrsp8i4leh9KVvrd.
Adults are welcome to attend and listen, but are asked to respect the intention of the space and center the youth participants during any interactive activities/workshops.
About PRAXIS Youth Organizing Conference
The PRAXIS Youth Organizing Conference PRAXIS is a youth-led and organized conference for young people (12-21) to learn from each other and build networks. PRAXIS originated in 2010 in response to the highly charged anti-immigrant political climate in Arizona at that time. Prescott College students organized the conference to provide an opportunity for youth to discuss issues and build coalitions for community organizing.
About Prescott College
Prescott College offers four-year undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees and Phd programs utilizing an experiential, self-directed model that attracts students motivated to make a difference in the world.
About K-20 Changemaker Campus
Mexicayotl Academy Of Excellence, Changemaker High School, and Prescott College have embarked on a joint venture to create an all-inclusive changemaker K-20 partnership in Tucson, Arizona focused on weaving primary, secondary, and higher education into an all-inclusive model that will create the next generation of dual language, social innovators and solution seekers.
SOURCE Prescott College
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