Standing Together Taking Action
Service Learning and Social Justice Dialogues
Standing Together Taking Action (STTA) is an Illinois (state-wide) virtual SPIN Club for youth ages 13 and older who want to navigate topics including social justice, leadership, racial equity, conflict resolution, service-learning, and more in a respectful and non-judgmental environment. STTA is designed to:
- Bring Illinois youth together to deliberate, reflect, and learn how to act on social justice issues.
- Provide a safe space to educate and engage youth in healthy conversations surrounding social justice.
- Allow youth a platform to speak and act on issues that affect their communities.
- Provide resources and direction for youth to promote effective change related to social justice issues in their club, community, country, and world.
STTA SPIN Club sessions are available twice a year from February thru May and September thru December. Members must register to attend. For more information, please contact Dr. Michelle Cox at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Just In Time Equity Dialogue
Equipping Teens to Lead Critical Conversations
The Illinois 4-H Youth Leadership Team will begin offering the Just In Time Equity Dialogues for Youth as a part of Illinois 4-H DEI initiatives. The Equity Guided Dialogues are a series of lessons designed to bring youth together to deliberate, reflect, and take action on social justice issues. Each guide focuses on issues that investigate systematic and structural injustices using multiple perspectives that lead to critical awareness, deep reflection, and personal growth.
If your unit is interested in hosting this teen-led dialogue, please fill out the request form below. Please see the link below to download the Just In Time Dialogues, you will need to request a specific dialogue option on the request form.
- Dialogue 1: What is Bias?
- Dialogue 2: Are Fair and Equal the Same Thing?
- Dialogue 3: What Do You Mean Black Lives Matter? Increasing Understanding of Cultural Movements
- Dialogue 4: All Lives Matter- Right or Wrong?
- Dialogue 5: Does Racism Still Exist? Increasing Understanding of Systematic Racism
- Dialogue 6: Why Do People Riot to Get Their Point Across? Understanding Civil Unrest
Just in Time Dialogues: https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6FN0anOJ0TIkJiB
Request Form: https://form.jotform.com/203154928827159
Challenge Clubs for Latino Youth
Juntos (pronounced "who-n-toes") is a Spanish word that means "together" and is the name given to Ready4Life Challenge clubs designed for Spanish speaking youth and families. Juntos clubs are created to help middle and high school students and their families gain the skills and knowledge needed to achieve success through high school graduation, pursuit of of post-secondary education, and sustained employment. Juntos clubs offer three components designed to create a supportive environment in which students can develop life skills, learning skills, and literacy skills for the 21st century.
Family Focus Series
Family support is an essential component to preparing youth for their future as adults. Juntos clubs help family members support youth by providing monthly seminars that bring the families together in the same space to participate in engaging activities related to preparing youth for learning beyond high school and working successfully on a job.
4-H Club Membership
Learn by doing is what we do in 4-H and by becoming a 4-H club member participants in Juntos will have opportunities to practice what they learn in real world settings. Youth will practice teamwork, leadership, public speaking, and explore a variety of skills that will serve them as future adults. 4-H club membership also comes with the option of participating in many of the other experiences the 4-H has to offer.
Success Coaching and Mentoring
Youth are matched either one to one or in a small group of four with an adult who meets with them at least once each week. During the coaching and mentoring sessions youth are developing a meaningful relationship with a positive adult role model, engaged in hands on activities illustrate key success principles, and participate in meaningful discussion with coaches that cover a variety of readiness topics.
Please contact Roxie Cejeda at email@example.com for more information on Juntos.