Kids Say The Most Important Things...
Dear Reader,
In this post I'm speaking directly to you and into your heart.
Read the following, take it in, and maybe read it again :)
Your voice matters.
Support is vital to growth.
Leadership isn't dictated by age, education level, or socioeconomic status.
Don't let fear keep you small, use it to help you rise.
Use your voice to speak up on issues of importance.
Denying the existence of White Supremacy will continue to prevent our world from truly becoming just.
Students deserve a truthful and historically accurate education.
Break. Through. Stereotypes.
"The Power of the People is Greater Than the People in Power."
Tomorrow morning we'll be dropping perhaps the most important podcast episode to date. Never before have you been able to witness my "why" in this way.
I started The Courage Campaign as a personal development program for adults. The Warrior Project as it was then called, was created for people who wanted to use movement and journaling to supplement traditional wellness practices. I can tell you with great sincerity that I wanted to help people change their lives for the better based on the self-empowerment tools that I cultivated in experiencing hardship and triumph throughout my life.
Then one day a personal training client invited me to her classroom to read a story and do a movement activity with her kindergartners, and it changed my life.
Over time, my husband and I created a living, breathing non-profit designed to help school-aged children access courage and agency through movement, journaling, and discussion-based learning. We also raise money to support students and families experiencing economic hardship, as well as work with teachers on inclusivity and anti-racism within the classroom.
The above affirmations and statements were taken from our conversation with 5th and 6th graders from Alexander Twilight Academy, a free academic catalyst program that provides hard working, high potential Boston-area students from under-resourced backgrounds with the highest quality educational and life-enriching opportunities. They are the very special podcast guests you'll be hearing from tomorrow, and without them and their head of school, Annie Weinberg, The Courage Campaign could not exist and grow in the way that it does.
Children are our future, yet they are also our present. We have so much to learn from all of the brilliant young people amongst us, and I'm honored to bring their words and voices to you.
For now, enjoy the teaser above, and we hope you'll listen in tomorrow when the episode drops at Noon EST.
You can find the podcast & ATA here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-in-courage/id1522983874
https://www.alexandertwilightacademy.org/
With so much courage,
Ash