Reflecting on how we’re showing up for Youth Rights


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Newsletter Content:

📜 Youth Rights Accreditation Partnership
📝 Sign the Declaration of Child Rights-Centric Education
✨ Featured Organizational Members
📚 Tipping Points Press Books for Sale
➕ Newest Additions to the Resource Directory (includes a Job Opportunity)

Greetings ,

As the end of the year nears, we are reflecting on all the ways we have and can continue to show up for youth rights over the past year. We will be sharing more about our year in review, including our Annual Report and what to expect this coming season, towards the end of the month. Right now, we want to take a look at some of our important partnerships and the ways they are supporting youth rights and Self-Directed Education, and share more opportunities to be a part of active support for this movement.

📜 Youth Rights Accreditation Partnership and Endorsement

Imagine an education system where young people’s rights, voices, and unique learning journeys are at the core. The Self-Directed Education (SDE) Youth Rights Accreditation (YRA) offers this vision—an international recognition for educational spaces that prioritize youth rights and autonomy in mutual aid supported spaces. By validating educational approaches that honor young people’s agency, SDE YRA helps youth rights educational spaces gain legal recognition, earn respect, and join a historical movement rooted in fostering healthy, resilient, and fulfilled young people.

ASDE endorses and supports this project, as a way to bridge the gap between required “standards,” and liberatory education practices. We know that accrediting SDE can appear a little schoolish, but by using the accreditation practices that are mandatory in many countries, we can find a way to satisfy conventional requirements and beliefs, while making SDE more accessible for more young people. It is a difficult line to walk, but this accreditation service is bringing together a collection of voices and advisors to support this being aligned with both the visions of SDE and youth rights.

We also want to make it clear that we will continue to support, list, and share about centers that choose not to be accredited. Accreditation is just one option for those who would benefit from it, but we will not hold it as a barrier to being in partnership with the Alliance.

If you have any questions, feedback, or ideas, feel free to email ASDE at info@self-directed.org, or contact the SDE YRA here.

📝 Sign the Declaration of Child Rights-Centric Education!

As we shared in our last newsletter, ASDE is a founding member of the Rights-Centric Education Network (RCE Network). RCE has recently launched The Declaration of Child Rights-Centric Education, and are calling for all youth rights and SDE advocates to sign the declaration and get involved! You can read the declaration and sign it here.

Why do we need a Declaration?

Because the presently mainstreamed system of education wasn't developed out of respect for Human Rights to, in, or through education. It was designed to suppress human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The above blurb was taken from the page of commentary on the Child Rights-Centric Education Declaration. For additional commentary check out this page.

✨ Featured Organizational Members

Alder Commons

Alder Commons is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community space where kids and adults alike attend workshops and classes, and spend their time freely. A multigenerational and multicultural community, we practice and promote our Core Values of Self-Determination, Collective Liberation, and Community Support.

Radical Learning

Radical Learning facilitates a radical shift in the way we think about learning, education, parenting and what it means to be in community. Through trainings, workshops, resource sharing and community building, we help parents, adults supporting youth and life-long learners break through oppressive programmings and limiting beliefs to awaken to their true potential, become empowered and support and practice radical lifelong freedom & learning.

For a full list of our Organizational Members, check out the bottom of our home page.

Looking for holiday gifts?

📚 Tipping Points Press Books for Sale

RIGGED by Hazel Smack

In her clever debut novel, Smack poignantly reminds us that when young people have the time and space to live in the world and be themselves, they discover answers to important questions that many adults have long since given up even asking. RIGGED draws us into Fisher’s world, compelling us to ask: Does school really matter? What does a true community look like? What happens when we focus on what we are passionate about? And why are relationships so damn complicated?

– Bria Bloom, Executive Director, Alliance for Self-Directed Education

Peter Gray's Booklets

Buy Now!

Our first publications below are a set of four small books composed of articles that Peter Gray has published as blog posts for Psychology Today.

Mother Nature’s Pedagogy: Biological Foundations for Children’s Self-Directed Education

Evidence that Self-Directed Education Works

The Harm of Coercive Schooling

How Children Acquire “Academic” Skills Without Formal Instruction

➕ Newest Additions to the Resource Directory

Reimagine (Chesham, England)

Co-ops & Resource Centers

Reimagine supports home education clubs for self-directed learning – currently Hummingbirds runs 9am-3pm Mondays and Fridays for children 4-9yrs, in a nurturing environment with plenty of outdoor and free play, interspersed with art/cooking etc.

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Facilitator/ Atelierista @ Tamilla (Andalucia, Spain)

All Jobs

We are looking for a passionate facilitator to join our staff team and take on a central role in stewarding our ecosystem and co-creating a safe, nurturing, and inspiring educational ecosystem.

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Current Education Center (Ambler, PA, USA)

Co-ops & Resource Centers

Current Education Center is an in-person program for teens, providing an alternative to middle and high school.

We also want to highlight that our Resource Directory has a Mental Health and Counseling subsection with counselors and mental health professionals who understand SDE and support parents who choose SDE for their children.

Alliance for Self-Directed Education, Inc.

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