Youth Development Insight

By Kathryn Sharpe There are days when it hurts just to be human. Days when turning on the news fills me with dread. And these days I want to somehow shelter my child and the young people in my life from the heartbreaking reality that surrounds us in our world. Yet young people are growing up in this world and need to learn how to navigate these issues and still keep their full humanity: war in Israel and Palestine, climate devastation, migrant deaths, unearthing children’s graves at Native residential boarding schools, school shootings and police violence, among so many others. And youth often feel them even more intensely than we do as adults. So rather than shielding them, we best serve young people by helping them in an age-appropriate way to digest the issue in their minds and bodies. In another blog, I offered guidance for adults on ways to manage hard conversations and issues when they arise. But how can we help youth process the world’s and their own pain when they feel it in t

By Jessica Pierson Russo Many people support equity in principle, but today's political climate can make it difficult for some to actively engage in and advocate for equity efforts. So what can we do to clear up any misunderstanding and build confidence with our youth and families about equity?  First, let’s take a look at some common misconceptions about equity: Some people confuse equity with equality. Equality refers to treating everyone the same, while equity emphasizes fairness by giving people what they need to succeed, even if it means providing different levels of support to address disparities. Some people may mistakenly believe that equity means everyone should receive the same resources, opportunities, or outcomes, which can lead to resistance if they perceive this as unfair. Some see equity as advocating for equal outcomes regardless of an individual’s efforts or abilities. They might think that equity implies guaranteeing the same level of success for everyone, which c