Inter-Generational Leadership
Intergenerational leadership development builds self-reflection, teamwork and leadership skills in both scholars and college-age leaders. Development occurs where post-college age adults mentor college-age Servant Leaders who mentor Junior Servant Leaders who mentor 9th/10th grade students, who mentor the younger youth. This builds leaders of change and provides employment and growth opportunities from within.WA-BLOC believes place-based leaders who are most proximate to the scholars themselves, rather than traditional Euro-centric certified teachers whose biases and culturally irresponsive pedagogies, transform racialized institutions and systems.
Restorative Justice is WA-BLOC's powerful approach to discipline that builds healthy communities by focusing on repairing harm through inclusive processes that engage all parties involved. This holistic approach to behavior shifts the focus of discipline to from punishment to learning and from the individual to the community. WA-BLOC trains all staff in restorative conversation practices and uses a reflection room and restorative circles to solve conflicts.
Youth & Parent Engagement
Youth and Parent engagement is essential to fight for civil rights and begin to redress the multi-dimensional impacts of racism, it is important to analyze all facets of inequity in order to create the deep, transformational relationships required for communities to build power together in a sustainable way. Thus, WA-BLOC partners with local public schools, community partners and most importantly our students and families to create a collective voice for equitable culturally responsive restorative educational practices which reframe student capacity as asset-based and debunk prevailing stereotyped definitions of "intelligence," redressing not only structural racism but racialized social, economic and educational systems.
Racial equity is at the center of WA-BLOC year-round programming, as it spurs inter-generational place-based community organizing, centering the voices and leadership of youth of color most impacted by historic and system racism in all facets of our work via place-based leadership, circle practices, and community collaboration– transforming processes to redress the multi-dimensional impacts of racism.