Roni K. White, NCC, LCPC on LinkedIn: Yessssss! ✊🏽the power of decolonization and freeing one’s mind. As… (2024)

"That was one of the things that worried me - to be raised to the position of a semi-god - because then you are no longer a human being." ~ Nelson MandelaCurrently thinking about how the need to give any social movement a face can sometimes lead to the creation of one-hero narratives or a semi-god as Mandela states in the above quote. These one-hero narratives continue to be used to mislead the masses in order for those in power to remain in power. A problem that is unfortunately quite prevalent in Africa.As members of civil society, specifically those working in policy and advocacy, it is important for us to start thinking of ways to empower the people of this continent, especially children and youth as they form more than half of the population. Citizens must be capacitated adequately so that they play a more active role in the countries governance, and civic education must be included in the school curriculum. Remember: It takes two to tango. An informed and active citizenry is our best shot at rebuilding this continent.✊🏾

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Late post..Days back we commemorated both the International Day of the African Child and Juneteenth, two significant days that remind us of the strength, resilience, and potential of people of African descent worldwide. The International Day of the African Child highlights the importance of ensuring the rights and welfare of African children, while Juneteenth celebrates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and the ongoing pursuit of freedom and equality.These observances are deeply interconnected, as they both emphasize the importance of education, justice, and opportunity. As we honor African children, let us also reflect on the historical struggles for freedom and equality symbolized by Juneteenth. Both days call us to action to build a world where every African child can thrive, free from the barriers of inequality and injustice.By acknowledging these pivotal moments together, we reaffirm our commitment to creating a future where every child in Africa and the African diaspora can achieve their dreams and contribute to a more just and equitable society.#InternationaloftheAfricanchild#Juneteenth#Earlychildhoodeducation

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Educators have an important role to play in challenging widespread erasure of Palestinian identity and anti-Palestinian racism: “Anti-Palestinian racism also means mentioning Palestinians in the context of violence and terrorism. Lessons begin with the intifada but fail to mention the Nakba. Teachers cite resources that claim that Israel was a ‘land without people for a people without a land’ while telling students who question this narrative to stay quiet,” writes Nassim Elbardouh.While readers may have varying opinions about Palestine and Israel, most would agree that the world we want for future generations must be more—not less—equitable and just. Such a world is only possible if people have the capacity to dialogue and contextualize history and commit to taking on all our challenges together, with humility and care. If the present moment is any indicator, we are failing ourselves at building such a world, and causing great harm in the process.“Students don’t feel safe because we shield them from injustice; they feel safe when we prove that they can count on us to do the right thing,” she says and I agree.Do read: https://lnkd.in/ggXgynTz#Gaza#Palestine#HigherEducation

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End your day with some inspiration from the generation who sacrificed so much for our freedom. Last Sunday, in honour of #YouthDay, we spoke to Tata Themba who participated in the 1976 Soweto Uprisings.He gave us an "on-the-ground" experience of what happened on that historic day. Listen here: https://iono.fm/e/1452547It's difficult to overemphasise the importance of that day 38 years ago. The June 16 1976 Uprising that began in Soweto and spread countrywide profoundly changed the socio-political landscape in South Africa. Events that triggered the uprising can be traced back to policies of the Apartheid government that resulted in the introduction of the Bantu Education Act in 1953. The rise of the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) and the formation of South African Students Organisation (SASO) raised the political consciousness of many students while others joined the wave of anti-Apartheid sentiment within the student community. When the language of Afrikaans alongside English was made compulsory as a medium of instruction in schools in 1974, black students began mobilizing themselves. On 16 June 1976 between 3000 and 10 000 students mobilized by the South African Students Movement's Action Committee supported by the BCM marched peacefully to demonstrate and protest against the government’s directive. The march was meant to culminate at a rally in Orlando Stadium.On their pathway, they were met by heavily armed police who fired teargas and later live ammunition on demonstrating students. This resulted in a widespread revolt that turned into an uprising against the government. While the uprising began in Soweto, it spread across the country and carried on until the following year.The aftermath of the events of June 16 1976 had dire consequences for the Apartheid government. Images of the police firing on peacefully demonstrating students led to an international revulsion against South Africa as its brutality was exposed. Meanwhile, the weakened and exiled liberation movements received new recruits fleeing political persecution at home giving impetus to the struggle against Apartheid.#youthday #history #heroes #June16 #interview #southafrica

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Thanks to @Nasdaily, for this fascinating resource material for peace education.This short documentary on North and South Korea paints a great picture of what the outcome of our choices for peace and violence can be.In the last Peace Education for Secondary School (PESS) Training of Trainers, we had a conversation about nonviolence actions and it's importance, the facilitator, Edidiong Lawrence .M. shared that despite our choices for nonviolence doesn't make us weak in the long term, as through history it has yielded the best kind of transformation we could have desired.Another point that struck me was that, taking nonviolence actions are choices. they are not passive choices, but active or intentional choices for peacebuilding in the long term.We are hopeful that individuals, groups and nations will start making decisions that are important to change our context for peace.Other things noted in the video include:* Our political choices have a long term effects on our peace and development status in the long term.* If you desire peace, you must be able to create platform for people to express themselves, and be open to others as you cannot live life alone. * Human development will be improved with effective leadership gained through dialogue and freedom of expression.What do you think about this peace education materials?#Peaceeducation#peacebuilding#peaceandsecurity Foundation for Non-violent Alternatives- an institute for peace studies Violence Prevention Network Violence Prevention Education Conference Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Global Campaign for Peace Education CFA Institute Research Foundation United Nations United States Institute of Peace United Nations Peacekeeping Institute for Peace and Security Studies - IPSS EIP Lab - Education Inspiring Peace Laboratory Community of Democracies National Democratic Institute (NDI) National Endowment for Democracy Democracy and Development Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung | Global Unit for Feminism and Gender Democracy Deep Democracy Noord YIAVHA Nigeria Generations For Peace USA International Peace Institute (IPI) Institute for Public Policy and Governance

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"The invasion of childhood education as a specific location of control has constituted an essential tool by which the Zionist regime has managed Palestinian children and their educators and silenced their histories and moral claims. In governing the colonized through an educational system aimed at shaping citizens subjectivities (Said, 1999, PP. 36-45), Zionists have used educational spaces and personnel (educators, teachers, administrators) to maintain surveillance over both the home and the homeland and to control textbooks, historical narratives, schools, and the very home itself (Sa'di, 2014). Zionists implant secret security personnel in schools, hire and fire teachers, and build and demolish schools with the specific aim of managing and controlling childhood education so as to secure the consciousness of the Palestinian child - and, I would argue, of future adults and leaders (Zureik et al., 2010; Sa'di, 2014).During the early years of the establishment of the State of Israel, two laws were passed to ensure such dominance - the 1949 law of compulsory education and the 1953 law of state education - in order to institutionalize free compulsory education for all children between the ages of five and thirteen. In so doing, Israel created different educational systems for Jewish immigrants and for Palestinians. Sylvia Saba-Sa'di and Ahmad H. Sa'di examined the categorization of Palestinians in Israel into Muslim, Christian, Bedouins, and Druze. In their study of the Druze community in Palestine, they noted that the invasion of education through policy institutionalized Druze and Arab identities among the younger Palestinian generation so as to reorder and govern the colonized and their educational curriculum.The authors explain:In addition to the textbooks, the spaces in the school were arranged to mold students' subjectivity. The students are surrounded by conspicuously placed sym-bols, portraits, and slogans, which epitomize the duality of their identity as Druze and as Israelis. Beside the Israeli flag, which all schools in Israel are obliged by law to raise, the Druze flag is placed.(Saba-Sa'di and Sa'di, 2018, p. 826)"Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, Incarcerated Childhood and the Politics of Unchilding, Cambridge University Press, 2019, p. 6-7

This year marks 30 years since South Africa became a democracy with equal rights, dignity and freedoms for all. The achievements of last year’s matriculants show the progress we have made not only in making education more accessible, but also in making it more equal.

🙌As we commemorate youth day, we reflect on CSDA’s Basic Package of Support which empowers South African youth. This documentary showcases the influence that the BPS has on individual lives. These films demonstrate how holistic support empowers and uplifts young people. Watch below to learn more#YouthDay #June16

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