Students will begin to learn how their identities are impacted by systems of power and privilege through examining these themes in various case studies about school. Major concepts and themes covered in this unit are the three basic systems of power that govern every aspect of our lives: political, social, economic. Students will define power and privilege in concrete and tangible ways, and assess how power and privilege is maintained through various forms of oppression: ideological, institutional, interpersonal, and internalized. Yet, in the face of oppression, people have leaned into the assets within their community to resist and change systems.  Students will be given multiple opportunities to practice new vocabulary and apply it in argumentative writing. 

In this culminating project, students will engage in a community asset mapping activity to identify the assets and social networks in their community. This project to prepare students for the last unit on transformation and change (Youth Participatory Action Research). We want students to view their community with an asset based lens, centering the support systems that already exist in their community and how these resources can be tapped to address the gaps and needs their community still has.