“Justice is what love sounds like when it speaks in public.” - Michael Eric Dyson
Words Matter Youth Summit
Since 2017, the OEI has engaged students using the following guiding principles: 1) deep reflection on our spiritual heritage as Ignatian Educators; 2) our call as social justice leaders to bring about a change in the ways we engage in the world, and 3) reimagining the intersection between service and justice.
Given our national reality and the conversations that our students and community were having at the time, our adult leadership team determined that we needed to create a safe space for the conversation on identity. As a result, the Words Matter Youth Summit was born out of a response to that need, focusing on micro-aggressions and the power of single words.
Encounter.
To this end, Words Matter collaborates with students from other schools using the power of stories to find connections.
Disruption.
We believe the way words are interwoven in narrative form can serve as the foundation for authentic relationships.
Re-imagination.
Any and all Words Matter Summits, we endeavor to go beyond the single-story, to engage in dialogue, storytelling, and deep listening.
Prophetic Action.
This framework has become a tool of dismantling dominant narratives creating transformational change in our communities beyond our school walls.
