Accountability equals Love! Transforming Leaders To Create Motivated And Loyal Teams, So They Can Maximize Performance, Instead Of Killing Morale. The problem is that most organizations still use the Carrot and Stick method, which does not work. The real way is to assemble effective teams with peer to peer balanced accountability system that wins hearts. Attendees will […]
Redesigners for Justice: young leaders guiding us to a more equitable future
You voted for thisSystems of oppression, inequality, inequity are by design; therefore, they can and must be redesigned. Everybody is a designer — we all have the power to influence outcomes. To cultivate a mindset shift that centers community and equity for a just future, we need a new type of civic leader to address the exclusion and inequities in our communities: Redesigners for Justice.
We’re challenging the belief that only adults with titles (e.g. mayors, CEOs, etc.) have the power and right to challenge racial and health inequities. Youth historically have been undervalued architects of change and culture and it is essential that adults leverage their power and access to amplify youth voices as the leaders they are and will become.
The young Redesigners for Justice on this panel are alumni of various Creative Reaction Lab programs, which operate from a curricular foundation of Equity-Centered Community Design – an award-winning creative problem-solving framework the nonprofit organization has pioneered. As Equity Designers,* these young leaders have engaged in community research and designed interventions addressing public transportation, gun violence, food access, and beyond in their communities. They will speak to their work (with Creative Reaction Lab and/or beyond), how they view priorities of Next Gen Leadership, and what opportunities they see for us all to co-create a more equitable future.
*Individuals who (1) put people and equity first, (2) are embedded within a community and drive toward the improvement of that community, (3) work through the lens of failure – always iterating, making and improving interventions, (4) build upon the existing resources available within their organization/communities to create change, and (5) have lived experiences with the inequity being addressed.
Confirmed Panelists
Nora L. Garcia, MSW – moderator
Nora L. Garcia is a divergent thinker interested in creating equitable spaces through written and visual storytelling. A graduate of the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, Nora earned a Master of Social Work degree with a concentration in Domestic Social and Economic Development.
Prior to enrolling at Washington University, Nora attended Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida and obtained her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Creative Writing. She accredits her academic success to the support she received from the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE), a department within Florida State University, made specifically for the retention of low-income, first generation college students. During her time at Florida State University, Nora became extremely interested in dismantling systemic barriers and creating opportunities for underrepresented youth, as others did for her. She believes that despite her resiliency, her life’s trajectory would have been starkly different had it not been for her support systems.
Through storytelling, Nora plans on rewriting any deleterious narratives communicated about Black and Brown youth. She hopes to merge her education and personal experiences to empower historically underinvested youth to manifest their ideal realities, realities unimpeded by complexion or socioeconomic status.
Quinton Ward
Born and raised in Saint Louis, MO, Quinton is a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, emphasis in graphic design. He was the recipient of the 2018 Arts and Education Council Katherine Dunham Fellowship, where he had the opportunity to learn about the field of art administration and be mentored by art professionals. That same year, Quinton participated in the Community Design Apprenticeship Program pilot cohort for the Mobility by All for All initiative, examining the current state of public transportation in the St. Louis area and providing recommendations informed by community research for continued public investment. He has been a Community Arts Training Institute Fellow through the Regional Arts Commission, completed a year of Americorps VISTA service for the St. Louis Zoo as a Participatory Asset Mapping Research Associate, and has recently been named the Executive Director of St. Louis Metro Market – a mobile, nonprofit farmer’s market that provides historically underinvested communities access to fresh, affordable food. Across contexts, Quinton’s work consistently explores where art, design and community intertwine and he aspires for his work to go beyond gallery walls and be accessible to a variety of communities.
Unconfirmed Panelists
Terry’l Robinson
- Current Civics Unplugged Fellow, Terry’l is gaining the skills to challenge and change the status quo of our political systems.
- Participant of Young Leaders for Civic Change: Eliminating Gun Violence (Sept 2019), co-founder of the intervention G.U.N.S.: Giving Us a New Society – a campaign building community support and advocacy through individual pledges against gun violence.
Dessie Johnson
- Current participant of the United Way St. Louis Youth Empowerment Program (YEP), Dessie is furthering her role as a community leader by recognizing the needs and issues of the city and learning how to address those needs through policy change.
- Participant of Young Leaders for Civic Change: Eliminating Gun Violence (Sept 2019), co-founder of the intervention H.U.G.S (Helping Us Get Stronger), a school-based support group for survivors of gun violence.
Robert Beckles, Ashley Coleman, Deja Brown, or Kristin Brown
- current participant(s) of the Community Design Apprenticeship Program addressing issues of food access in North St. Louis County.
Supporting Materials
- Redesigners for Justice
- Young Leaders for Civic Change: Eliminating Gun Violence (local media coverage)
- Mobility by All for All
- Creative Reaction Lab Youth Programs
- STL By Design podcast: Quinton Ward of St. Louis Metro Market
- Young Leaders for Civic Change: Eliminating Gun Violence use design to address gun violence
- Collectively Challenging Inequities in the St. Louis Promise Zone : Meet Our 2020 Community Design Apprentices!