This spring, Castlemont Youth Together students continued their campaign for cleaner bathrooms. They drafted and submitted to the school administration a proposal for the school to hire more janitors. At the same time, they encouraged the student body to respect school property, stressing that dirtiness depresses the morale of the entire school community, undermining everyone's goal of having a safe, healthy learning environment. They held presentations about the importance of not writing graffiti on the walls and otherwise defacing school property, about how diseases are easily contracted in dirty environments, and especially in dirty bathrooms. They also made and distributed fact sheets conveying this information.
Youth Together Castlemont students also gave informational teach-ins about the California High School Exit Exam, a test which 10th grade students will have to pass in order to graduate high school. Many students who have taken the test have found that their school does not sufficiently prepare its students for the test and have complained that it is unfair for them to be punished for something that is beyond their control. Teachers signed up for Youth Together students to give these presentations to their classes. In sync with the YT Regional strategy, CHS also conducted anti-war teach ins and outreach to mobilize youth against war.
Porshe Washington
"I joined Youth Together in 9th grade. Since then, I've been to all the meetings and all the conferences. I've been down for everything. I've learned about myself, especially that I was really immature. I didn't know how to distinguish those times when to play around from when to be serious. Through workshops and interacting with my peers, I've learned how to differentiate between what's real and what's just a stereotype. I've also learned about my culture and my background and other peoples' cultures and backgrounds. This is stuff that I never knew, but that I was supposed to learn in school, and was never taught."
"One thing that I've learned about is the triangular slave trade. I've also learned how the English used opium to invade China. I've learned the difference between 'Chicano' with the 'X' and with the 'Ch.' I've learned about various cultural leaders that haven't been widely acknowledged, like Caesar Chavez. In school they teach you about the Black Power Movement. In YT, I've also learned about the Yellow Movement."
"Before I joined Youth Together, I really didn't care about anything. I was more interested in getting some new shoes than in changing my school. [Being in Youth Together] changed my whole perception; I have learned how to see what's real. It has made me want to work more and more to change my surroundings. There aren't enough books for everyone in the class. There are teachers who don't even have their credentials and there are 'answer book' teachers. I had a book in my class that was older than my mom and it's still in there!"
"I've learned that in order to change things, you can't be by yourself. You have to be with other people. You have to be well educated to change the system. You have to know what you're talking about."
"My favorite academic subject is English. I like to talk; I like to write; I like to debate. I like a challenge. In YT, there's always a challenge. At Castlemont it's extremely difficult to make things different. People at the school generally do not care about the issues that affect them...We've been reaching out to change that."
