Equity Conversation Guides Serve as Timely Resource in Current Moment

The protests against police bru­tal­i­ty and sys­temic racism have ampli­fied the need for com­plex con­ver­sa­tions about racial inequity in pub­lic sys­tems. To help, the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Equi­ty Con­ver­sa­tion Guides for Young Lead­ers and Part­ners pro­vide step-by-step instruc­tions for facil­i­ta­tors to lead groups of young peo­ple in under­stand­ing the his­to­ry of struc­tur­al racism and how it oper­ates today.

“In this moment, we must use our indi­vid­ual and col­lec­tive pow­er and respon­si­bil­i­ty to dis­man­tle these struc­tures so that all young peo­ple can tru­ly thrive,” says Leslie Gross, direc­tor of the Foundation’s Jim Casey Youth Oppor­tu­ni­ties Ini­tia­tive®.

“When young peo­ple are giv­en the space to learn, engage and con­nect with oth­ers who have a shared sense of pur­pose and com­mu­ni­ty, change hap­pens,” Gross con­tin­ues. ​“It is clear that these dif­fi­cult con­ver­sa­tions must still be had, and actions must still be tak­en. This move­ment is being led by young peo­ple. And I hope that these guides will inspire more of them to become the lead­ers dri­ving real change with­in their communities.”

The Equi­ty Con­ver­sa­tion Guides — devel­oped in part­ner­ship with Jim Casey Young Fel­lows, NOX­TIN, the W. Hay­wood Burns Insti­tute and Fos­ter Youth in Action — pro­vide tips on how to cre­ate spaces that fos­ter con­ver­sa­tion and engage­ment that fuel action around advanc­ing racial and eth­nic equi­ty. The four guides include:

• Under­stand­ing the Basics: Core Con­cepts and Terms
  This doc­u­ment intro­duces foun­da­tion­al knowl­edge about the rel­e­vant con­cepts for advanc­ing equi­ty and inclu­sion. Learn­ing these key con­cepts in peer groups facil­i­tates deep­er dis­cus­sion, intro­spec­tion and crit­i­cal think­ing, allow­ing lead­ers to apply their under­stand­ing of equi­ty from per­son­al expe­ri­ence to their work toward sys­temic change.
   
• Dig­ging Deep: His­tor­i­cal Con­text of Child Wel­fare Systems
  While the his­to­ry of racism in the Unit­ed States began with the arrival of col­o­niz­ers and the exploita­tion of Indige­nous pop­u­la­tions, this doc­u­ment takes a look at how racism has oper­at­ed in the child wel­fare and youth jus­tice sys­tems from the 1600s through today. To engage in lead­er­ship and advo­ca­cy in mean­ing­ful ways, it is crit­i­cal to under­stand the con­text of child wel­fare sys­tems and how var­i­ous poli­cies and prac­tices can affect chil­dren and fam­i­lies differently.
   
• Dis­cov­er­ing Self: Iden­ti­ty and Culture
  Root­ing action and lead­er­ship in advanc­ing racial and eth­nic equi­ty is deeply per­son­al work that requires trust­ing rela­tion­ships and safe space to process new infor­ma­tion and reflect on our own per­son­al jour­neys. Con­ver­sa­tions about iden­ti­ty with young peo­ple who have expe­ri­enced fos­ter care are often very nuanced. Many young peo­ple are ground­ed in cul­ture and com­mu­ni­ty, while oth­ers may feel dis­con­nect­ed from their roots and their sto­ry. This guide is designed to enable facil­i­ta­tors to explore these com­plex themes in a strengths-based envi­ron­ment with young lead­ers and advo­cates who have expe­ri­enced fos­ter care.
   
• Shar­ing Pow­er: His­to­ry and Con­tri­bu­tions of Orga­niz­ing in the Con­tin­u­um of Youth Engagement
  Under­stand­ing the his­tor­i­cal con­text of youth lead­er­ship and advo­ca­cy allows young peo­ple to ful­ly appre­ci­ate the influ­ence they can have, and the polit­i­cal dynam­ics involved in advo­ca­cy. This con­ver­sa­tion guide pro­vides an oppor­tu­ni­ty to learn about the cen­tral role that young peo­ple have played in sys­tems change through an equi­ty and inclu­sion lens.

After intro­duc­ing the core con­cepts, facil­i­ta­tors are invit­ed to work through the guides in a way that makes sense for the group.

Explore the Equi­ty Con­ver­sa­tion Guides