It's time to get registered for this year's 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge, organized by the Food Solutions New England network. (Why the Food Solutions New England Network? FSNE supports a shared set of values in the food system they are building together. In 2013, FSNE publicly “centered” the racial equity value of their work and, in addition to supporting each other to learn, grow, and change toward a more racially just system, the network was inspired by the work of Debby Irving, the author or "Waking Up White" and others to adapt the 21-Day Habit-Building Challenge to the food system world. FSNE has been organizing and hosting the Challenge every year since 2014!) **I put a link to the book, Waking Up White, for you because I highly recommend it. It's an easy, (but valuable and worthwhile) read, making it a great place to 'get started' or to continue exploring topics around race. The Challenge starts on March 30th this year and you will receive an email prompt each morning with a short reading, video or podcast. Some people do the Challenge as a group while others work on it individually. If you've done this in years past, no worries-- daily prompts are updated every year. The Challenge is open to anyone who wants to learn more about the history of race and racism in our food system and about inspiring ways to dismantle and build an equitable food future for everyone. FROM THEIR WEBSITE: What exactly happens during the Challenge? During every morning of the Challenge, you’ll receive an email “prompt” with a short reading, video or audio file. You are encouraged to take about ten to fifteen minutes each day with the material in the prompt, though we will provide extra resources in case you want to dig further into the day’s topic. You have the option to log into our online forums (links will be provided) if you’d like to discuss the prompts in a supported and moderated environment. We also encourage you to share your experience on social media using the hashtag #FSNEEquityChallenge. What if I can’t do all the daily prompts? It’s ideal if you can do a little bit with the the daily prompts Monday through Friday, perhaps saving the “going deeper” extra material for another time. However, we realize sometimes it’s hard to keep it going for the full twenty-one days! The links you will receive will stay live so that you can come back later in the year. Also, don’t forget that you’ll have the weekends to get caught up! What about the weekends? Good news! It’s a time to get caught up and reflect. We will send weekend prompts on Saturdays and Sundays to help you think about the five days of weekday prompts. The weekends are a great time to get caught up on anything you missed during the week or check out some of the extra resources on topics of interest. Some participants use the weekend to write in their journals or connect with friends and family about something they learned during the week’s Challenge activities. Why 21 days? There is no magic formula to change behavior, but committing to three weeks of consistently exploring the impact of race in the food system provides an intentional way to uncover racial inequities and injustices, as well as to discover the many ways we can individually and collectively promote a more just and equitable food system for all.
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By: Kristine Hoffman & Lindy McBratney Lindy and Kristine, who both are teachers in the Structured Learning Classroom (SLC), are sharing today’s blog post. The SLC classroom means their days are spent with students who require a high degree of structure within their school day. They receive individual and small-group instruction in a setting outside of the general classroom. Instruction in pre-academic, academic, functional, communication, social, behavioral, and independent living skills is provided on an individual and small-group basis. The stories Lindy and Kristine share today on the blog will maybe give a little insight into how their personal experiences in their family align perfectly with their days here at Hoyt. It will also shed light why it’s both their personal and professional commitment to “signing the pledge” during Respect Week and why they encourage all of us to do the same. "Be a teammate. Be a friend. Welcome someone who has been left out. Sit next to someone alone at lunch. Say hello to someone in the hallway. There are so many ways to spread inclusion. Choose yours. Make a pledge and start today. Join us to make inclusion a reality for all people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. Make your pledge." Hello! Our names are Ms. McBratney and Mrs. Hoffmann and we both teach students with intellectual disabilities. Both of us have been personally impacted by individuals with intellectual disabilities our entire lives. Mrs. Hoffmann: My older sister Kathrine has autism. Growing up with my sister had its ups and downs just like any other family. Our favorite things to do together is go shopping, bike riding, and looking at old family photos together. Having my sister in my life taught me a lot about myself. I learned that I am caring towards others, I see beyond what others can or can’t do, and that I was meant to work with individuals with intellectual disabilities. Without my sister in my life, I wouldn’t be on the path that I am today. Ms. McBratney: My older sister Jessica has Down Syndrome. Growing up with a sibling with a disability was the same and different all at once from everyone else. We still fought and loved each other like “typical” sisters. Having a sister with a disability caused me to grow up faster than my peers, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t think I would be the person I am today or have the job I have, if I didn’t have my sister in my life. Our hope for Respect Week is to spread awareness about individuals with intellectual disabilities. For our students, we want them to be treated with respect by everyone, to be held to high standards, and included within our school community. The Revolution is Inclusion! Tip from Lindy and Kristine: Use person first language! Instead of saying “autistic person”, you would say “person with autism”. On March 4th (today!) people will take action to spread the word about inclusion. Please consider signing the CHOOSE TO INCLUDE pledge today at lunch and encourage your students to do the same. Make it "official" when you click on this site: www.spreadtheword.global/pledge
If you want to see even more about how others are spreading the word about inclusion around the world as they "make the pledge", check this out: www.spreadtheword.global/ Start your New Year off with a 21-day Social Justice Habit Building Challenge Some of you attended the White Privilege Conference last year so you you might have gotten an email from the "Privilege Institute" |
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March 2020
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