Join Us Saturday, January 27, 2024
Amplifying and centering the voices, experiences, and leadership of Black Girls, this 'invite only' restorative gathering is for members of the Code Switch Community. It brings Black Girls and gender expansive young people of color, aged 14-24 together with Women and Gender Expansive Individuals of Color serving as educators, licensed professionals, mentors, youth justice advocates, parents, & caregivers, organizers, legislators, activists, co-conspirators of racial justice, and activists to discuss topics and themes focused on restorative justice education, wellness and self-care, policy advocacy, Black joy, anti-racist pedagogies and education for liberation. The inaugural retreat was held in Fall 2021 and hosted approximately 15 participants. Since then we have grown and now represent over 10 schools and youth serving organizations from across the Las Vegas Valley. This year we are coming together to plan our strategy for expansion so we can grow our reach by inviting in, and sponsoring more young people in future years. This is an important weekend for Code Switch. We'll engage in racial healing, radical love, and youth-centered, justice-focused problem-posing. We will also address a variety of topics with a goal of incubating youth-led action meant to (in)power the change we wish to see within and throughout our schools and communities.
Retreat Goals:
Goals for the retreat include:
- To curate a space of healing, connection, community, and joy for Black Girls, Women, Gender Expansive Folx and their co-conspirators working for liberation.
- To examine and discuss the inequities shaping the schooling experiences of Black Girls with a focus on highlighting how they experience teaching, learning, and discipline policies within local K-12 spaces
- To promote equity, racial justice, multicultural understanding and the use of culturally relevant restorative practices as a viable method to dismantle opportunity gaps fueled by racial injustice so that Black Girls, gender expansive young people, and their youth of color counterparts achieve academically, emotionally, and socially, both in and out of P-12 school settings
- To introduce newcomers to the work of CodeSwitch
- To model how local schools, districts, and universities can effectively implement a day of critical mentorship centered in the experiences and needs of Black Girls, Women Educators, and Gender Expansive Young People.
Who Should Attend:
The retreat comprises an affinity space for those affiliated with the Code Switch Community in some way. It is invite only this year, with most attendees being Black girls/women and gender expansive young people of color who are students and/or educators in K-12 and higher education spaces. In the future we have aspirations to open this event up to girls and young women in the local Southern Nevada Community.
View Video of Our First Retreat Here:
Registration & Donations:
We invite you to learn more about how the day of the retreat will unfold by visiting the "day of schedule". Those who are eligible and have received an invitation to register may do so HERE. Registration will close on January 15, 2024 at 8:00 PM PST.
Donations are also accepted from those who are unable to attend the retreat but would like to offer their financial support. Donate HERE. Donations will be used to offset day-of-event costs for participating local girls/gender expansive youth, all of whom attend retreat weekend for free. Donations also help to fund:
If you have questions and/or concerns about the retreat, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Donations are also accepted from those who are unable to attend the retreat but would like to offer their financial support. Donate HERE. Donations will be used to offset day-of-event costs for participating local girls/gender expansive youth, all of whom attend retreat weekend for free. Donations also help to fund:
- youth-led mentorship programs
- mini-grants for local youth wishing to achieve academic and other school related goals
- mini-grants for our Youth Justice Fellows working to implement social action projects incubated as a result of their involvement in our Youth Justice Fellowship Program
- community serving relief grants for Girls and Womxn of Color in need of non-education related support due to financial difficulty or persistent COVID related challenges
- leadership and travel scholarships for girls participating in Code Switch Youth programs.
If you have questions and/or concerns about the retreat, please do not hesitate to contact us.