iSPeaks

In this episode you’ll hear from Tess, an ISP student, and Deb, the consultant guiding ISP in its Towards 2027 strategic planning process. Tess and Deb are both members of the Towards 2027 strategic planning steering committee along with the head of school, the president of the board of trustees, the high school principal, two members of our teaching staff, two parents and myself (your host, Steph), representing the ISP admin and business staff. Our main responsibility as a committee is planning an inclusive workshop on October 8th and 9th, during which a cross section of the ISP community will co-create strategic statements. These statements will ultimately shape the school’s actions and priority setting during the next five years.

At the top of the podcast you'll hear a few excerpts from our conversations, which I think give you a good idea of why being involved in strategic planning is so important to both Tess and Deb. Listen as they explain the importance of strategic planning, how it can give voice to many members of the community and how it can help us confront, and maybe even solve together, some of the challenges facing schools in today’s increasingly complex world.

The articulate Lauren takes over this episode to help us understand the importance of representing black culture (among many others!) in the media. 

Vincent, from @reset.revolution, stepped in to interview Lauren; the @resetrevolution X @onjustice collaboration was a success and we look forward to working together in the future!

Enjoy this episode and the many associated resources we've curated for you!

We watched a movie and thought we'd tell you about it - Moxie!
(Moxie. Directed by Amy Poehler, Netflix, 2021.)

We loved this movie, but it sparked a lot of discussion and one big question - how do we make our voices heard in a positive and impactful manner? Listen to get our answers, then get out there and take action!

Spoiler alert - listen to our podcast after the movie if you don't want the spoilers!

Attention - this podcast, and the film, contain discussions of rape and sexual harassment. If you, or someone you know, is a victim of rape, incest or sexual harassment speak to a person you trust - an adult or a friend. Here are some resources on the subject, most in French as the podcast is recorded and produced in France.

In this episode the OnJustice group invites Leah and Anaïs to share their thoughts on racism - you met Leah in the last episode and Anaïs recently studied the Black Lives Matter movement. The conversations are more than observations of racism in our societies. They are reflections on polarisation and powerful messages about Leah's and Anaïs's hopes for the world. 

Enjoy!

References:

February is Black History Month in the United States, so yes, we're a bit late publishing an episode on this subject! However, we have a good excuse - we spent the month of February collecting interviews and content so that we could present a series of episodes on Black History Month, racism, colorism and intersectionality in France, the United States and other cultures.

In this first episode you'll hear about the creation of Black History Month, listen to the first part of our interview with Leah - a bi-racial, French, American, Haitian, Jewish student - and you'll get some tips on participating in tough conversations about race. 

Check out our Instagram (@ispeaksonjustice) for curated resources on Black History.

Check out our expanded resources list for links to lots of different material on social justice (only available to members of the ISP community): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X8_ofoo2EFw-apaMt9xBuEv_Zm4KgZ7W4OGzsxmMQY0/edit?usp=sharing  

This is our first real episode and we’re tackling a big issue - voter suppression, or disenfranchisement.

Most of us have never voted, due to our age, or won’t be able to vote in the country where we’re living due to our immigration status. This doesn’t make us less aware of the fact that the right to vote is one of the foundations of democracy. Worldwide, laws and actions that aim to suppress voting rights are contributing to the weakening of democratic processes.

Our conversation takes an inevitable turn towards the United States and the 2020 presidential election. Our aim, however, was to make sure to give an overview of different types of voter suppression around the world as well as some suggestions for ending disenfranchisement.

Anecdote: a French citizen listening to a rough cut of this episode couldn’t understand the expression “voter suppression”. After quite a few additional explanations and examples, his response was “Oh, so it just means anti-democratic”. Food for thought!

To learn more, here are some of the resources we consulted when researching this episode:

Welcome to our bonus episode, where Grade 7 Humanities students take the mic and talk about some of the most important Renaissance inventions! 

Did you know that submarines were invented over 400 years ago? Did you know that we credit the wrong painter for the invention of oil paints? Or that eyeglass frames were once made of leather? Learn these fun facts and many more as you listen to the voices of ISP explain the learning that's been happening in 2020, despite confinement and social distancing. 

Have you struggled with productivity, discipline or commitment? Are you hoping to improve in these areas? Thomas, an entrepreneurial grade 11 student launched his very own YouTube channel, where he hosts self-improvement and performance videos. He's overcome struggles in these domaines and wants to help his viewers do the same!

Visit his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzkaaYoMigxP4R-h3rPTvaw

This is an exciting week on iSPeaks - we're sharing the first of a two-part interview with education superstar Cathryn Berger Kaye! Cathy wrote the book on service learning (literally!) and is an expert in encouraging inquiry. 

In this episode you'll learn about the MISO (media, interview, survey, observation) research method, developed by Cathy and her team. Employing this method in class projects reminds students that research is about adding to the body of knowledge, not just about copying and pasting existing information.