This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
Youth United for Change held its ninth annual Summer Leadership Institute in August. YUC members from high schools including Kensington, Olney, and Fels participated in a weeklong program on political education that included three tracks. Track 1 discussed how issues like racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia connect to and impact education. Track 2 addressed the connection between economics, education, corporate control, and capitalism. Track 3 trained participants on how to teach Track 1. The program’s purpose is to create a better understanding of how society’s systems work and affect education so that young people can connect that to their local organizing efforts.