April 2024
April 27 – UCI History Project: Freedom Dreamers: Building Black and Brown Futures 2nd Annual Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) Conference
Students from across the Los Angeles area will be participating in the UCLA Mann Youth Participatory Action Research Conference on April 27th. The conference is aimed at teaching community members about a range of social justice issues—from environmental justice to the school-to-prison pipeline. Organizers aim to spark dialogue to catalyze community transformation and support student activism efforts.
The UCI History Project has been working with students, educators, and East Yard Communities for Environmental Justices (EYCEJ) to implement YPAR and community-based research into classrooms.
The Mann UCLA Youth Participatory Action Research Conference will be held on April 27, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Mann UCLA Community School, 7001 St Andrews Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90047.
Admission is free and includes breakfast and lunch.
May 2024
May 2 – UCI History Project: Stories of People of Color in the OC Series – “A More Inclusive History of the OC”
Join us as in our last after-school workshop of this series as we examine the rich history of People of Color in Orange County, CA. This workshop will use A People’s History of Orange County as our grounding text and we will highlight how to use this text in the classroom. Additionally, we will hear how one teacher leader in Irvine Unified engages his students with this history through an ethnic studies lens. We are honored to have Thuy Vo Dang as our guest scholar on this day.
Special note: Parking and dinner will be provided to all participants. Also, all participants will receive a copy of the book: A People’s Guide to the O.C.
The goal of this series is to focus on untold or undertold local/community histories that will help support teachers and districts as they work towards meeting the ethnic studies graduation requirements outlined in AB101. In addition to centering community stories, we will also be highlighting literacy strategies to help provide ideas for educators on how to bring these rich histories into their classrooms for their students to engage with.
May 4 – UCI History Project: Central American Studies in K-12 Showcase: Celebration, Education, y Comunidad
In an effort to support California’s newly adopted Ethnic Studies Requirement, as outlined in AB101, the state of California provided funding for Ethnic Studies Initiatives. The goal for this funding was to develop and implement model programs and services for K-12 teachers to build and strengthen their capacity to teach Ethnic Studies.
For our project, we created a Central American Studies curriculum project that would support the needs of various Central American communities, Central American students, and the educators supporting them in the classroom. We particularly focused on Los Angeles as Los Angeles County is home to the largest Central American population in the U.S. but these units could be taught in any classroom.
We hope you will join us to convivir, be in community with each other, and celebrate all the love and care that was poured into this curriculum project.
This event is free and open to the public and we ask that you register as breakfast and lunch will be provided.
May 5 – UCI History Project: C4! Community Conversations con Cake
We are excited to invite you to join our C4! year-long pilot program. Our goal is to bring together, in person, a diverse group of ten local high school humanities educators and create a unique learning community.
This program is a response to discussions with local teachers who have expressed their desire to build a supportive community where they can practice difficult dialogues, engage in active listening, and share stories. The goal is to develop pedagogical acumen that centers on how to have fact-based conversations while learning critically about the broader theme of human rights.
The program will consist of five meetings, beginning on May 8th 2024 and culminates at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year.
As part of the program, we will provide opportunities and structures for storytelling, asking questions, listening for understanding, and reflection. These pedagogical practices will support teachers to implement the Common Core State Standards for Speaking and Listening, while at the same time create a deep understanding of our shared history and goals for the advancement of human rights. The program will offer an approach on how to create spaces for dialogue and activism about the ways that human rights have, and have yet, to be realized in our local community and globally. The intention is that participants can incorporate some of these practices into their classrooms.
And of course, there will be cake!
May 8 – UCI Teacher Academy: Community Conversations con Cake: Developing Global Citizens through Difficult Dialogues
Together we will create and nurture a community of educators committed to peacebuilding through dialogue. The goal is to develop pedagogical acumen that centers on how to have fact-based conversations while learning critically about the broader theme of human rights.
May 17-18 (Virtual Day 1/In-person Day 2) – UCI Teacher Academy: Teaching for Justice Conference
🌟 We are excited to share an opportunity for our members to engage with the Teaching for Justice Conference, hosted by the UC Irvine School of Education Teacher Academy. This annual event, now in its third year, is dedicated to advancing equity, inclusion, and social justice in education. 📚✊
🌺💭 Conference Theme: Communities of Care
Aligned with Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, this year’s conference theme is “Communities of Care.” The conference will explore how care can be integrated into classrooms and communities through the lens of Asian American studies pedagogy and practice.
📅 Date and Format: May 17-18, 2024
🌐 May 17, 2024 Day 1: Virtual
🏫 May 18, 2024 Day 2: In-person at the UC Irvine Student Center
🎙️ Keynote Speakers:
Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales: “What Educators Can Learn from Ethnic Studies: Growing Communities Rooted in Love and Collective Liberation”
Kristina Wong, Theodore Chao, Anna Michelle Wang, and Jenessa Joffe: “Cramming for Justice: Auntie Kristina’s Guide to Asian American Activism”
🤝 Why Attend?
Engage in sessions, workshops, and keynote speeches focused on building caring communities in education.
Access teaching resources and recordings of select sessions for further engagement.
Connect with educators, researchers, and community organizers committed to creating inclusive and supportive learning environments.
May 28 – UCI Science Project, CalTeach, UCI Teacher Academy: Teaching Climate Change Workshop
Dr. Winschitl will be speaking about his latest book, Teaching Climate Change: Fostering Understanding, Resilience and a Commitment to Justice and share instructional practices that foster student agency are solutions-based and center an ethos of caring and justice.
June 2024
June 10-14 – UCI History Project: Critical Literacies Teacher Workshop
Apply to join this Ethnic Studies Critical Literacies professional development series, where K-12th grade educators will engage in learning about Stories of People of Color in Southern California. Teachers will have access to primary sources available at UCI, meet and learn from UCI scholars and archivists, and engage in a series of activities with the ultimate goal of creating Ethnic Studies lessons.
Completed applications must be received by May 10, 2024. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Applicants will be notified by the end of May, 2024. For further questions please contact emilleer@uci.edu.