Learning Exchanges
Learning Exchanges began in 2008. Below is a description of each exchange held to date.
View upcoming learning exchanges.
The Politics of Education and Community Development: Creating Healthy Communities through Collective Leadership
Hosted by: Texas State University, San Marcos
Location: San Marcos, TX
Date: January 5-8, 2012
The CLE in San Marcos brought together twelve teams from eight states to work on their local issues in education and community development. As community teams walked the Texas State University campus and saw the statue of a young Lyndon Johnson, they shared their stories and the experiences of their communities. Just as Johnson used his stories to shape future actions, these teams imagined what they could do in their communities. To reinforce the idea that public institutions are for the people of a community, we held action-planning sessions in meeting rooms at the State Capitol in nearby Austin. At each step of the learning exchange process, the context supported the work of these teams.
View photos from the CLE | Join the Group | Watch the Videos
The Role of Public Education in our Society: What is the narrative that we create going forward?
Co-Hosted by: The Community Learning Exchange and Journalism that Matters
Location: Highlander Institute, TN
Date: September 22-25, 2011
View photos from the CLE | Read meeting notes and discussions | Watch the Videos
Weaving Strong Communities: Forming collective leadership to advance just and equitable communities
Hosted by: Center for Ethical Leadership
Location: Seattle, WA
Date: May 19-22, 2011
The Community Learning Exchange (CLE) convened in Seattle WA, and guided participants in the formation and use of collective leadership to develop deeper partnerships, broaden community dialogue and engagement, and plan concrete next steps to advance local social change initiatives. The gathering offered lessons from the new Collective Leadership Storybook: Weaving Strong Communities, written by members of the CLE network. The 60 participants came from 14 different states and Puerto Rico, and represented 12 different teams or community organizations.
View photos from the CLE | Join the Group | View the Organizational Roster | Watch the Videos
National Youth Summit, Washington DC
Hosted by: U.S. Department of Education
Location: Washington, DC
Date: February 24-26, 2011
The backdrop for this CLE was the "Voices in Action: National Youth Summit""Voices in Action" was the culminating event of a year-long listening tour by the Department of Education to learn from students ways to increase the college completion rate in the U.S. Our CLE network brought high school and college age students from 5 states to be part of the Summit and share lessons of storytelling and collective leadership as something that is working in our communities to improve high school graduation and college completion rates. Of the 400+ people at the "Voices in Action" summit, the only Native American and Native Hawaiian representatives were from the CLE network.
View Photos from the CLE | Watch the Video
Youth, Families, and Immigration Reform: A Collective Leadership approach to positioning family at the center of reform strategy
Hosted by: Augustana Lutheran Church, in partnership with Roca, Inc.
Location: Washington, DC
Date: July 14-17, 2010
Participants exchanged knowledge and practices that support family cohesion in an increasingly hostile anti-immigrant environment. This timely CLE offered participating institutions and organizations serving undocumented populations an opportunity to map out strategies for influencing the immigration reform debate, and educating local policy makers and opinion leaders about enforcement options that are least injurious to families and youth. Participants came from MA, MI, CO, TX, WA and DC.
View photos from the event | View the brochure | View the video of who was there
Collective Leadership and Systems Change: Examining Poverty, Practice and Policy
Hosted by: LUPE (La Union del Pueblo Entero) and Llano Grande Center
Location: South Texas (San Juan & Edcouch, TX)
Date: April 15-18, 2010
This learning exchange helped participants understand how systems interconnect to impact people, families, and communities. Participants were immersed in the policy issues of the south Texas border through a series of policy site visits [link to field trip descriptions], where participants traveled to private homes to engage in house meetings, while others went to schools and other locations to talk about dual language programs, digital storytelling, and laws and policies that impact vulnerable children and families. They examined such issues as undocumented student access to higher education, street lights in colonias, inclusion of Cesar Chavez in history texts approved by Texas board of education, etc. The process of policy was demystified as participants learned how to “disrupt the system” with their stories and experiences. Teams from Hawaii, Brooklyn, Michigan, and Texas worked on shaping their own agendas for change in their communities.
View the brochure | View information about the participating organizations | View the powerpoint slides about La Union del Pueblo Entero | View the Farm Workers Prayer
Educational Equity in Rural and Urban Communities
Hosted by: Migizi Communications of Minneapolis and New Paradigm Partners of Northern Wisconsin
Location: St. Croix
Date: October 20-23, 2009
Participants learned how to cultivate collective leadership partnerships and create Gracious Space for work with public school systems that perpetuate disparities for different groups of students. Hosts demonstrated the importance of place and context by engaging local community activists in sharing cultural perspectives on equity including: Somali, Latino, African American, and rural White identities. Participants examined challenges to educational equity that they face in their communities, shared successful approaches, and developed plans for moving past those obstacles. The exchange highlighted the new media work of Native American youth regarding the media images of Native Americans, and the healing and forgiveness needed in communities of color.
View the event brochure
Building Strategies Across Race and Class: Forging Relationships for Social Change
Hosted by: Public Policy And Education Fund Of New York in Buffalo, New York
Location: Buffalo, NY
Date:August 6-9, 2009
Community change agents learned how to incorporate proven principles of racial equity into their social change organizing efforts. It examined the roles power and race play in creating strategies. Provided methods that community leaders can use to track their own growth as well as strategies for developing the skills of others. The Buffalo hosts were particularly skilled in translating abstract social equity intentions into concrete and actionable strategies for change. Buffalo provided a powerful setting for this exploration with the Erie Canal, Underground railroad, and Colored Musicians Club. All are examples of how the local context has played a pivotal role in creating the current race and class dynamics in this US/Canadian border town.
View Video from the gathering | View event brochure | View photos from event | View forums connected to event
Hosted by: Laguna Department of Education
Location: near Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Date: March 17-20, 2009
This Exchange illuminated how the Laguna and Acoma pueblos have used storytelling to claim and maintain core identity through centuries of outside influence. The power of language, history and the culture of place were presented as a source of collective identity and grounding for moving forward in the 21st century – particularly through education in the schools. CLE participants experienced the spirit of Acoma culture while visiting ancient Sky City and the deep hospitality and generosity of the Laguna Pueblo during the feast day of St. Joseph. A strong theme was the importance of working across the generations to engage youth, adults and elders in partnership.
Hosted by: Roca inc.
Location: Chelsea, Massachusetts
Date: November 6-9, 2008
This Exchange showcased how Roca’s Immigrant and Refugee Initiative (RIRI) has organized, partnered and mobilized young people and adults in the community around immigration, advocacy and policy. Participants learned how to strengthen youth and adult partnerships and to use the peacemaking circles process to promote collective leadership among community change agents. They also used the arts to build relationships and engagement. The Chelsea learning exchange spotlighted Roca’s “Know Your Rights”campaign to help undocumented residents during a season of aggressive immigration enforcement raids that were splitting many families and communities.
Hosted by: Llano Grande Center for Research and Community Development
Location: Edcouch/Elsa, Texas
Date: May 15-18, 2008
Situated in a predominantly Mexican American community on the south Texas border, this Exchange highlighted how Llano Grande uses youth adult partnerships and digital storytelling to effect change in teaching and learning. Participants learned about process of telling story, analyzing story and constructing new stories to bring about change. Featured local projects included high school students working to persuade elected officials to clean up a toxic site in the middle of a residential area, a community group overseeing construction of new schools after passing a multi-million-dollar bond issue, and community-school partnerships in surrounding communities.
© 2012 Created by steve stapleton.
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