Social Justice Spaces for Kids

This honors experience taught me about the power of social spaces like museums and the media. More than we realize, children understand identity, fairness, and their role in the world. Through my Social Justice Spaces course, I examined how public spaces can either reinforce or challenge societal inequities related to race, class, gender, and ability. This experience showed me that social justice can begin with children. 

After several field trips to public learning spaces like the Contemporary Arts Center and the Cincinnati Museum Center, we designed our activity kits to engage young children in conversations around community. My self-designed project, The Gift of Me and You, focused on helping children recognize that their character traits—like kindness, joy, and empathy—are gifts they can share with others, even if they don’t have material things to give. Using squishy toys and scenario cards, children were guided to reflect on how they might support others in difficult situations, from bullying to food insecurity. The most impactful moment during this activity was watching how children lit up when they realized they already had the "superpowers" needed to help others. Whether offering a smiley face squishy to cheer someone up or choosing a heart to represent kindness, it was clear that the activity encouraged self-worth.

I plan to use the lessons from this experience in pediatric patient training and community engagement projects. Whether designing materials for a mobile clinic or partnering with schools in under-resourced areas, I now have a deeper understanding of how to engage young people in a meaningful way. Children don’t need to wait to grow up to make a difference—and neither do we.