April 19, 2018 — How do educators work with students worried about themselves or their parents being deported? Should schools serve as sanctuaries? What role can schools play in preventing juvenile delinquency? Can classroom yoga help traumatized youth?
These are just a few of the issues that will be discussed at the CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) 10th Annual Conference for Social Justice in Education, scheduled for Saturday, April 21 from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at CSUCI’s Grand Salon, followed by breakout sessions in Del Norte Hall.
“The primary purpose of the conference over the years has been to bring the community together to brainstorm solutions and network about the social justice in education issues facing our community,” said Associate Professor of Education & Political Science Tiina Itkonen, Ph.D., who co-founded the Social Justice conference at CSUCI with Professor of Education Kaia Tollefson, Ph.D.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Michele Castillo will provide the keynote address about the importance of education in preventing juvenile delinquency and recidivism for youth who re-enter the community after incarceration.
Castillo, who will be presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws at CSUCI’s May 19 Commencement ceremony, will talk about her own rocky journey to becoming the first Latina ever appointed to the bench in Ventura County.
“I’m going to be talking about how I got to where I am as it relates to social justice,” Castillo said. “I’ll talk about my experiences working with kids in the juvenile justice system and the school-to-prison pipeline (SPP). Students who drop out are three times likely to become juvenile offenders. We need to change the way we suspend students.”
The SPP is the disproportionate tendency of minors and young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds to become incarcerated because of harsh school and municipal policies. Castillo will illustrate how schools who change their suspension policy see their graduation rates improve.
One of the breakout sessions is entitled: “Schools as Sanctuaries: is ICE Raiding the American Dream for School-going Immigrant Youth.”
The session will be run by three University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Gervitz School researchers who conducted a study on the emotional impact students experience when living with undocumented immigrant students.
“With the rapid increase in the number of deportations since 2009, this group from UCSB has done research on the effect it has on students who are living with undocumented parents,” said Itkonen.
“Women of Substance and Men of Honor (WOSMOH): Incarcerated Youth Pre- and Post Transition to Independence Program” is a breakout session presented by Rosalinda Vint, who is with WOSMOH Inc., a nonprofit program dedicated to supporting youth transitioning from incarceration back into society.
Vint will be accompanied by young people who have graduated from the program successfully, and the role of education in their journey.
The lunch program and closing session will be a presentation from the Ventura Office of Education Director of Special Populations Educational Support Department, Joe I. Mendoza, entitled “Understanding Cultural Influences and the Educational Barriers of Disadvantaged Students.”
To register, visit: go.csuci.edu/soju.