Elevating Youth Voices to Redesign Middle School: Solutions Summit

20,000 Minnesota youth (ages 10-17) are arrested annually. Many more will be arrested over their teen years, and a huge share of all under-resourced youth encounter disciplinary systems in and beyond school. Youth input and other evidence suggest that the design of most schools contributes to youth disconnection as early as middle school. Yet the ideas, experiences, and leadership of youth closest to this challenge are not engaged in efforts to solve it!

That changes this year through the youth-led work of Bridgemakers, a Twin Cities organization that amplifies the voice and mentors the leadership of under-resourced youth to bridge America’s toughest gaps. Led by two young leaders with community leadership and past justice involvement, the initiative is supported by the Center for Policy Design, Wilder Research, Youthprise, the City of Minneapolis Office of Violence Prevention and the Aspen Institute.

Come join us on Thursday, August 11, 2022 from 11 am to 2 pm as justice-informed youth leaders, innovative educators and justice system stakeholders discuss actionable strategies to make student-centered schooling central to prevention, including collaborative plans for the expansion, creation and implementation of deeply student-centered middle schools.

This will be held at Wilder Research Center, 451 Lexington Parkway, Saint Paul, MN 55104; lunch will be provided.

Questions? Please contact:

Dr. Justin Pinn, justin@bridgemakersmn.org

Jose Perez, jose@bridgemakersmn.org

DJ Brooks, dj@bridgemakersmn.org