"Trash Life" Film Premier Wrap-up!

On March 28, 2018 over 90 students, parents, educators, artists and community advocates gathered at Cinema Detroit to celebrate the premier of "Trash Life," a PIE student film about the path and impact of trash in our communities. The film was created by a Boggs School class of first and second graders (The Painted Turtles), their teacher Kelly Rickert and teaching artist Matt Daher, with support from researcher Ever Bussey.

Thanks to everyone who attended  the premier of “Trash Life” and helped to make it such a success! Over 90 students, parents, educators, community advocates, artists, and other education enthusiasts came together to celebrate the film.

And a big thanks to our partners the James and Grace Lee Boggs School, teaching artist Matt Daher and classroom teacher Kelly Rickert who guided The amazing Painted Turtles through the project, Cinema Detroit for hosting us and our donors who made the event possible.

If you couldn't make it to the premier, you can find “Trash Life” in full length here. Also, check out the carousel below to see select pictures from the event.

If you’d like to continue the conversation about the cycle of waste in communities -- or about humanizing schooling in general-- contact us with your thoughts and ideas. You can also Donate to PIE to support future student media projects! And do follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter-- we’d love to keep in touch!

“Trash Life” A PIE Student Film Release: March 28th at Cinema Detroit

Out of sight, out of mind, but not gone forever-- once it leaves our fingertips, how does trash resurface in our lives? Join us at Cinema Detroit on Wednesday March 28th at 5:30pm for the release of "Trash Life," a film by The James and Grace Lee Boggs School students and PIE about where our trash goes.

The screening will include a Q & A with the students and light refreshments. See you there!

Learning Liberation Track

Creating empowered, humanizing classrooms

How can schools, classrooms, and other spaces of learning become sites for justice and liberation? When and how should we encourage young people to break rules? When and how should teachers make trouble? We will share practices, principles, and resources that empower young people and educators to teach to and for their human being.

Connections will be made locally and nationally on humanizing and creative ways to educate for liberation. Participants will walk away with spirit and drive to create transformative educational spaces of teaching with a network to lean on for support, resources, and organizing.

Coordinators of this track are Nate Mullen, Thomas Nikundiwe, Ammerah Saidi, and Matt Homrich-Knieling.

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

Educators - join us in the pressing work of educational justice!

We are seeking proposals for panel discussions, workshops, presentations, and facilitated discussions that explore the ways in which we can teach for justice, liberation, and healing. Whether you’re a teacher, youth organizer, administrator, student, or activist engaged in educational justice, we are looking for presenters to collaboratively engage in this work by sharing your stories, your experiences and your skills, your successes and your challenges. Together, we can transform education to become a space to create and practice freedom!

Specifically, we’re looking for sessions that:

1. Offer examples of humanizing and liberatory pedagogies and practices:

• Share ideas, successes & challenges, and lessons from both inside and outside of schools
• Bring the arts, movement, and media to the work of education for freedom
• Explore the lessons offered by culturally-sustaining, radical, and public pedagogies

  2. Position students and young people as leaders and activists:

• Share examples, models, and stories of youth organizing and student-led campaigns
• Explore activist and community organizing pedagogies

  3. Make space for building a local collective of social justice educators and creating connections with national networks:

• Share, uplift, and honor the work of Detroit students, educators, parents, and community members
• Propose a space designed to spark meaningful relationships among different constituents (youth, educators, organizers, media-makers) to further the work of education for freedom
• Gather an assembly of different constituents interested in a particular enactment of education for freedom (i.e. ethnic studies; social justice art-making; dance as liberation)

We see this track as building on the transformative educational justice work that is already happening inside and outside of classrooms, while also creating space for new possibilities, strategies, and collaborative networks.

If you have questions or want to discuss ideas for a proposal with the coordinating team, please contact us at matthewknieling@gmail.com.

PROPOSE A SESSION

View all tracks, practice spaces and network gatherings.