Moving from Despair to Community: Early Childhood Educators and Palestine

Thursday, January 18th
7:30pm – 8:30pm EST
Register on Zoom

We, the Early Years Liberation Collective, are offering a safe space for the early years
community to be in solidarity for a Free Palestine.

We are a group of educators, advocates, activists, and creators who are all part of the early
years community. Our work is grounded in our values as early childhood educators, joining in
the struggle against inequity, powerlessness, and oppression. Our goal is to create life-affirming
conditions within our communities and our global world, through collective action and education.
Description:

In the face of the unyielding genocide of Palestinians, our commitment to a free Palestine
remains unwavering.

We have seen an entire climate emerge to silence pro-Palestine activism. This is not a new
occurrence, but has been getting stronger and increasingly visible. From the criminalization of
resistance and peaceful demonstration, the implementation of shadow bans on social media,
people being put on lists for speaking out, the strain on relationships, to the silence in
classrooms, playrooms, and at dinner tables. The suppression of solidarity and the risks we
encounter are undeniably real. Amidst these risks, we find ways to resist, care, gather in
community, learn and unlearn, take collective action, and speak the truth to reclaim power, while
holding an ethic of care, equity, and justice in our practice.

As witnesses to the genocide in Palestine, which has been visible on social media for many
months, it may be possible that feelings of hopelessness and despair contribute to a decrease
in motivation to advocate for positive change and the feeling that what we are doing might not
be making a difference.

Through this session, we want to convey the importance of ongoing engagement with advocacy
for a free Palestine, and emphasize that this must be a collective effort to stand against
oppression and injustice. We will offer some ideas for action to advocate for a free Palestine,
and encourage participants to imagine their own advocacy actions. Our intention is that
participants leave the session with a greater sense of community, a curiosity to seek further
knowledge, and the motivation to continue supporting Palestinian liberation.

This session will address ways that our ECE values, which regard all children as precious, can
serve as instruments of change, while providing a different narrative that challenges the
common messaging and misinformation about Palestine.

We invite you to join us to learn together and gather in community on January 18th from 7:30 –
8:30 pm. EST on Zoom. Register here!