S2 Episode 7 Empowering Youth Voices: Rachel Belin on a Vision for Equitable Education

PODCAST Season 2 EPISODE 7
 
Rachel Belin
Managing Partner
Kentucky Student Voice Team
 
Quote of the Podcast –
“Democracy must be learned by each generation.” This is an adaptation of a John Dewey quote by Earle T. Hawkins, the founder of the Maryland Youth and Government program.
 
Introduction of Guest BIO –
Rachel Burg Belin (she/her) is the Managing Partner and, with young people, a co-founder of the Kentucky Student Voice Team. She has decades of experience supporting young people as research, policy, and storytelling partners, acting by turns as a social studies teacher, media literacy nonprofit innovator, education policy aide, development consultant, and commercial radio news director. In the course of this work, she has spearheaded nine different ventures specifically to amplify and elevate the voices of young people as full partners in civic life. With young people as collaborators, she has been the recipient of the Citizen's and Scholars Civic Spring Award, the Kentucky Nonprofit Network Excellence in Public Policy Award, the Pathway 2 Tomorrow Breakthrough in Education Innovation Award, and a George Foster Peabody Award. Rachel holds a BA from Harvard University and an MAT from the University of Rochester.
Interview
Agents of Change: Leaders/Innovators

•  30,000 Ft. View – Why so we, as a society invest in education?
• What drew you to education?
• What do you love about what you do?
• Tell us about What we mean by meaningful student voice; Schools as engines for democracy; the value of out-of-school time in supporting young people to do democracy; students as research, policy, and storytelling partners; the benefits and pitfalls of youth and adult power sharing and more!
• Tell us a story or favorite memory about your work in education.
• What are the biggest challenges to you?
• What would you like decision makers to know?

Podcast/book shoutouts
Best youth podcast: The Bell's "Missing Voices" series, produced by students in NYC
Especially Topical Read: "High Conflict" by Amanda Ripley
Oddly amazing show: "Wrestlers" on Netflix
 
Education Perspectives is edited by Shashank P at https://www.fiverr.com/saiinovation?source=inbox
Intro and Outro by Dynamix Productions
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