on blast

On this month's show:

• Students, parents & teachers unite to form One Voice
• Students reflect on their defeat of school vouchers
• A third grader speaks about the school to prison pipeline
• The importance of art & music in school

Plus music & other news.

Hear more at our podcast: www.onblast.podomatic.com

Despite years of strong public opposition, SugarHouse Casino opened it's doors on September 23, 2010. To many Philadelphians who understand the nature of predatory gambling, SugarHouse's arrival foretells a rise in unemployment, addiction, broken families and unstable communities.

Yet those who have been organizing around this issue are not giving up. In this piece, Lai Har Cheung, Reverend Jesse Brown, and Francesca Lo Basso talk about what SugarHouse will mean for Philly and why they are even more determined in their fight against casinos in Philadelphia.

On this month's show:
    •    Denver youth win new school discipline policies
    •    Students organize against the school to prison pipeline
    •    Farmworkers expose modern day slavery conditions
    •    On the street interviews about public education in Philly
    •    Plus lots of good music!

Students from across the country are coming together to stand up against the school to prison pipeline and demand positive school discipline policies that address young peoples' needs.  Instead of zero tolerance policies, students are organizing for the adoption of restorative justice models that promote counseling, mediation and conflict resolution. Leading this fight is the Alliance for Educational Justice (AEJ), a national alliance of youth organizing groups that includes the Philadelphia Student Union (PSU).

Harsh disciplinary policies, such as zero tolerance, contribute to the school to prison pipeline by criminalizing students and pushing them out of school. Restorative practices, on the other hand, offer an opportunity to repair & move forward after a problem arises, keeping more students engaged in their education.

During Philadelphia Student Union's summer leadership program, Building A Youth Movement, students hit the streets to ask people their opinions about public education. Along the way they talked to college students, third grade girls, adults who attended private school, a mother with young children, parents of high school students, and other Philadelphians--- all of whom had strong opinions about the state of our city's public schools. Listen and see if you agree with what these Philly residents had to say.

I am certain that project based learning is one of the best ways for young people to learn. My experiences with the West Philly Hybrid X-Team and Philadelphia Student Union have taught me this.

On this show:

• Picture the Homeless organizes for the right to housing in NYC
• PSU brings students together for a nonviolent 'flash mob'
• Students stand in solidarity with Temple nurses & techs
• Temple University Health System tries to limit college access for nurses' kids
• Plus music and local education news

This show was hosted by Greg Jordan-Detamore & Shania Morris. Dan
Jones engineered.

On April 8th, the Philadelphia Student Union, along with the Unified Taxi Workers Alliance and Media Mobilizing Project, went to the front lines of the Temple nurses strike to show support and stand with picketing PASNAP members. Justin Carter, a member of PSU and a senior at West Philadelphia HS, spoke to the crowd about the connections between students' struggles & nurses' struggles. He called attention to the problems with the 'gag clause' that Temple is trying to put on nurses, saying, "Just like students have the right to speak out about the conditions in our schools, nurses have the right to speak out about the working conditions in their hospitals."

This month's show features: Youth artists & organizers create an album to tackle the drop-out crisis; Kansas City students see half of their public schools shut down; Highlights from PSU's official launch of the Campaign for Non-violent schools; West Philadelphia High students put forward their hopes & concerns for the Rennaissance 'turnaround' of their school; Plus music & other education news.