philadelphia student union

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.
 

On this month's show:
    •    Highlights and victories from PSU's '09-'10 school year
    •    Connecting the struggles of students and taxi workers
    •    Philly & Harrisburg students talk about ending violence
    •    Youth express themsleves through poetry
    •    Music and education news
 
This show was hosted by Azeem Hill and Gregory Jordan-Detamore. Matt Johnson was the engineer.

The Philadelphia Student Union's Building A youth Movement (BAYM) Leadership Institute is happening again this summer! Every summer, high-school age young people from all over Philadelphia are invited to join Philly Student Union's youth leaders for a week of leadership, creativity and fun.
 

Yesterday, taxi drivers and their allies gathered for a prayer vigil to honor the taxi drivers who were recently victimized by the Philadelphia Parking Authority and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Members of many different organizations from across the city were there to demand justice for the drivers and their families. Religious and community leaders took the megaphone to send a message to the PPA that this kind of worker mistreatment won't be tolerated by the people of Philadelphia. Photos here.
 
Shania Morris, a rising high school freshman, represented Philadelphia Student Union at the vigil. She spoke about how this kind of harassment, especially when looked at alongside the long hours and constant mistreatment faced by taxi drivers, constitutes a form of structural violence similar to the kind faced by young people in our schools and communities.

In April 2009, myself and seven other students at Sayre High School trained our school security officers.  The reason why we did this all stemmed from a situation that took place back in September 2008 at my school.  The media called it a riot, but it all started with a miscommunication that escalated way beyond what it needed to be.

Young people all across the nation are looking for teachers that are qualified and will help draw them into success in education. However, in the city of Philadelphia, not all students have effective and qualified teachers in their schools. Grow Your Own (GYO) is a program that can and will help students get the qualified teachers they deserve in their neighborhood schools.

Philly Student Union had a powerful year. As the school year comes to a close, we created this montage to capture the highlights of the 2009-2010 school year. Thanks to all of the people who helped make this school year so successful and congratulations to all of our graduating members!

Philadelphia Student Union is turning 15 this year. Celebrate with us on Tuesday.  Here's a look back at some of our victories over the years.
 
1995 A group of Philadelphia high school students who are concerned with the state of public education in the city realizes that if meaningful school reform is going to happen it will have to be led by the most-affected: students. The Philadelphia Student Union is formed.

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.

Members of PSU recently traveled to Harrisburg PA to meet with students from Harrisburg's William Penn High School and engage them in our Campaign for Nonviolent Schools and our Campaign for Equitable School Funding. We led a participatory workshop that explored the root causes of violence in our schools and communities. We also talked about conditions inside our schools, and students from both Philly and Harrisburg agreed that underfunding of schools is a root cause of many of the problems we face.
 
By sharing our experiences, students came to the realization that the problems we see in our schools are not isolated to our own districts; that the struggle for a high quality education is a statewide struggle. In this radio piece, we hear from Harrisburg students about conditions in their school, their views on violence, and how PSU's Nonviolence workshop affected their perceptions.