Upcoming Programs
(click on links for more information and to register for the programs)
Soapbox Speeches (open to all)
When: Saturday, February 27 (1:00 – 2:30 pm)
Where: On the corner of Trade and Tryon (where the Golden disk is located)
CCSJ Lock In (open to all high school students)
When: Friday, March 5 ( 5 pm – 9 am)
Where: Urban League Building (740 W. 5th St)
Must be checked in by a parent/guardian
Youth Leadership Institute (open to all high school students)
When: Saturday, May 8, 2010 (10 am – 5 pm)
Where: Urban League Building (740 W. 5th St)
Register Here!
Bring It On! (open to all rising 9th graders)
When: June 27 – 30, 2010
Where: Brown Summit Conference Center – Brown Summit, NC
Register here!
Anytown (open to all rising 10th – 12th graders)
When: August 1 – 6, 2010
Where: Brown Summit Conference Center – Brown Summit, NC
Register here!
Summer Programs
Anytown
Anytown has been part of the experience of thousands of Charlotte-Mecklenburg high school students for 20 Years. It is a life-changing, ever evolving, program that will continue to be the flagship of the Charlotte Coalition for Social Justice long into the future – as long as it is needed! Anytown brings together a diverse group of youth from 10th to 12th grade with peer counselors and adult advisors to engage is a series of powerful workshops and activities designed to build understanding of difference, challenge negative assumptions and stereotypes, celebrate diversity, explore experiences of discrimination and injustice and motivate and equip the participants to become leaders in relation to issues of equity and inclusion. Young people leave Anytown with confidence in who they are, appreciation of others and a strong desire to work for positive change our community. Watch ANYTOWN – A Short Film
REGISTER
Bring it On!: Rising to Meet the Challenge of High School
The transition from middle to high school is a challenging one in many ways. Many of our high schools are more diverse than are elementary and middle schools. The high school years are also very formative in terms of identity, confidence, the development of personal ideas and beliefs and group affiliation. Bring It On! offers 9th graders the opportunity to address issues of self-awareness, diversity and inclusion as they prepare to take on this challenge, and encourages them to become leaders whose minds are open to difference and who exhibit and promote respect for themselves and others. Bring It On! Fact Sheet
REGISTER
Weekend Conferences
Diversity Kick-Off Weekend
This conference is for any youth who is interested in starting an initiative in their school to promote diversity and inclusion. This is a great opportunity for them to get the skills they need to start and sustain their initiatives, or grow initiatives that are already in place. Examples of initiatives include: Diversity clubs, GSAs, affinity groups (Latin American Student Associations, etc), Mix It Up Day, Day of Silence, Diversity Summit and more. Students will participate in workshops around social justice issues as well as skill building workshops
REGISTER
Civil Rights Conference
Every year, the Charlotte Coalition for Social Justice celebrates the contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by sponsoring a 3-day conference to address the ongoing civil rights challenges faced by young people and our community in general. The youth participate in the community-wide celebration by taking part in the parade with placards proclaiming their issues and their commitment to being agents of social change.
REGISTER
Peace Journeys Charlotte
Peace Journeys grew out of an initiative by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Dr. John Hope Franklin, who brought together youth from South Africa, the United States and Senegal (West Africa) to discuss race and reconciliation. It was the vision of these champions of racial justice that the initiative should continue. The 3 ½ day conference in Charlotte emphasizes the importance of understanding history, the value of intergenerational dialogue and the need to apply the lessons of the past to create a more inclusive and just future. The conference draws on the resources of the Levine Museum of the New South to help the participants understand the history and current reality of race relations in our community.
REGISTER
Youth Empowerment Council
The Youth Empowerment Council (YEC) meets at least twice a month throughout the school year. It is led by our youth for our youth and includes workshops, discussions, guest speakers and project planning. YEC provides a vehicle for young people in our community to lift up their voices and take action to address things they care about. One of the ways they do this is through Native Tongues, YEC’s social justice spoken word group that performs monthly at Dilworth Playhouse Café. Native Tongues is sponsored in partnership with ImaginOn.
REGISTER
After School Outreach for Youth Leadership
The most important aspect of the youth programming provided by the Charlotte Coalition for Social Justice is that it motivates young people to take action in their schools, faith communities, neighborhoods, recreational activities and so on. Charlotte Coalition for Social Justice staff support youth-driven initiatives, offering guidance, providing skills training and supplying encouragement to youth working to become agents of social change.
