Appalachian Educators Hosts the Fifth Annual Appalachian Social Justice Summit

The fifth annual Appalachian Social Justice Summit (ASJS), hosted by the Appalachian Educators Club (App Ed), was held Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13. Twelve high school students from surrounding counties participated in a weekend dedicated to learning more about topics related to social justice and equity, as well as getting the “college experience.”

The weekend events included:

  • Breakout sessions led by student leaders at App State from Multicultural Student Development and The Red Flag Campaign

  • Meeting with current Appalachian students

  • Defining what social justice means

  • Attending Spring Open House

  • Spending the night in the Living Learning Center Residential Hall

“This is one of the most impactful events that Appalachian Educators hosts every year,” said Megan Kasper Assistant Director of the James Center of Student Success and Advising and Advisor to the Appalachian Educators Club. “As our conceptual framework stresses, it is important that teachers foster socially just relationships. This event allows our students to empower local high school students to do just that and in turn impact their communities.”

The summit was made possible by the members of App Ed’s Social Justice Committee: Carman Crook, a sophomore mathematics education major; Audrey Rudinsky, a sophomore special education major; and Dorothy Williams, a junior middle grades major. The committee began planning for the event in the fall semester and had been working on making ASJS 2019 a success for months.

“Preparing for the Social Justice Summit is a complex role,” said Williams, for whom this was the second year serving on the committee. “Each year issues in Social Justice are evolving and shifting so deciding what to focus on is a difficult choice. Both times I’ve worked on this committee we have spent time brainstorming what issues matter most to us now and also which issues compelled us as high schoolers. We want to create room for conversations that students may not have the opportunity to have otherwise with trusted adults. We want to create room for mistakes because it is through mistakes and education that we become better allies and advocates.”

Social Justice Summit ParticipantsSocial Justice Summit Participants and App Ed Coordinators explore Appalachian State. 

“ASJS was created with the idea in mind that students are forming their global citizenship and learning about how to become the best activists and allies they can be,” said Rudinsky. “The students who attended SJS this year were passionate, driven, courageous, and are going to make the future brighter.”

“It was exciting to see how quickly a group of students bonded over a passion for social justice,” said Cook. “Their vulnerability made for productive discussions about real world issues and ways we can make a difference.”

“This is one of the most impactful events that Appalachian Educators hosts every year,” said Megan Kasper Assistant Director of the James Center of Student Success and Advising and Advisor to the Appalachian Educators Club. “As our conceptual framework stresses, it is important that teachers foster socially just relationships. This event allows our students to empower local high school students to do just that and in turn impact their communities.”

“Another indirect result of this summit is recruitment," continued Kasper. “Students who have attended have shared that after this weekend they were re-considering attending college. We also have several former participants who are students now at Appalachian State and even members of Appalachian Educators and Appalachian Community of Education Scholars!”


Social Justice Summit Participants
Published: May 7, 2019 9:40am

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