Lisa Kay Solomon, teacher of innovation at the MBA in Design Strategy program at San Francisco’s California College of the Arts, asserts that “having a futurist mindset means being comfortable that tomorrow might be quite different compared to today based on unfolding trends, patterns, and external signals… it [also] means getting perspectives from multiple sources, being a sense maker, and having a willingness to change a point of view if new information conflicts with what drove past decisions… and constantly [existing] in a learning mindset” (2021). Educators conscience of ever developing global crises such as climate change, population displacement, wealth inequality, and political warfare, understand that they are responsible for preparing students for an uncertain future. These educators also understand the unique perspective that youth offer as they develop inquiry into unknown topics and provide new insights to prevailing conditions of traditional practices. Thus the following learning activities draw upon the histories, legacies, and rhetoric of past and present Latine visionaries, while also providing students with the opportunity to develop the skills and strategies necessary for cultivating a futurist mindset.
Learning Activities
Activity #1: Developing an activist manifesto
Materials: Copies of Young Lords and Crusades for Justice documents, chomebook. Directions: In this activity students will spend time performing a close reading of both 13 Points and “El Plan Espiritual de Aztlán.” The texts will be read aloud in class with different students reading each statement. Students will be asked to focus on the style of writing, including: diction, voice, and tone. Students will also be asked to identify the actionable steps proposed by the leaders of each organization. Next, students will put both texts in conversation to identify similarities and differences between style and purpose. This will lead to students engaging in evaluative questions such as identifying the strongest assertions that each text makes and the tenants that students suggest adding to teach text. From here, students will be asked to imagine themselves within a collective organization. Working with small groups of three or four, students will be tasked with developing an outline manifesto featuring rationale and action steps directly connected to local community impact. Each group will engage in the editing and revision process before publishing their manifesto on the classroom walls and reading their tenants to the class. This series of lessons will culminate with a classwide Socratic seminar on the topics of activist rhetoric, conceptualizations of the future, and the purpose of calls to action.
Activity #2: An activist poetry slam
Materials: Copies of “I Am Joaquín (Yo Soy Joaquín)” and “Puerto Rican Obituary”, chromebooks, printed copies of student poems, stage or room for performance. Directions: Inspired by the poetry performed by 1960s Latine revolutionaries, students will engage in the process of creating their own activist poetry. This series of lessons will begin with a close reading of the poems of “I Am Joaquín (Yo Soy Joaquín)” and “Puerto Rican Obituary.” Each student will be provided with a copy of each poem and together we will listen to videos of Gonzales and Pietri performing their poetry. Students will be asked to follow different themes such as history, futurity, conflict, and identity. The class will then discuss the narrative perspective in each poem and selected lines from the close reading. Students will then brainstorm aspects of their own identity including: community, family history, conflict, hopes, and dreams. From their brainstorm, students will then develop a draft of a poem that focuses on the connection between student identity and activism. Students who need further support will be provided with templates based on the poetic forms of “I Am Joaquín (Yo Soy Joaquín)” or “Puerto Rican Obituary.” After developing, editing, and revising their poems with the help of their classmates and their teacher, students will perform their poetry. The performance will take place within the classroom, but students will be encouraged to share their poetry at school wide events and publish in the school literary magazine.
Activity #3: Publish and disseminate a newspaper or pamphlet
Materials: Young Lords Y.L.O. or The Reactionary Crusade for Justice...A Preliminary Study pamphlet, chromebook, printer. Directions: Students will partake in the creation of a publication focused on a common topic. Students in the class will first decide on a common topic for which they choose to contribute their writing. Based on student input, the topic with the highest interest will be selected and students with differing topics will be guided to find a way to connect their topic. Students will be provided with copies of the Young Lords Y.L.O. or The Reactionary Crusade for Justice...A Preliminary Study pamphlet as models as they are asked to develop articles that feature different aspects of the class topic. After engaging in the writing process, the students will be tasked with developing a publication reflective of each of their voices. The publication will be distributed throughout the grade level and students will be asked to provide reflective feedback on the publication process and reception via survey.
Activity #4: Illustrating the Future Through Comics
Materials: Art supplies, drawing paper, Puerto Rican Strong and Ricanstruction, Directions: In this activity students will be asked to partner with a classmate to develop a comic strip that depicts a future relevant to a specific cultural, environmental, or organization future. In teams, students will be tasked with the responsibility of writing and illustrating a comic that features a futuristic answer to a present conflict. Students will be provided with models from Puerto Rican Strong and Ricanstruction to help guide their creations. From here students will draft both writing and visuals featuring narrative which seeks to provide an answer to the students’ proposed areas of struggle. The students’ comics will be featured along with the classes’ publication (mentioned above).
Activity #5: Envisioning the Future a student choice project
Materials: Chromebooks, art supplies, notes template, rubric. Direction: After engaging in multiple activities which require students to utilize a futuristic mindset, students will culminate their learning with a project of their choice. Working in groups of three or less, students will be tasked with the responsibility of creating a project which envisions the future. This project may take the form of an essay, a comic, a video, a model, or medium of their choice, but it must clearly articulate the vision of a future dependent on community power and social justice. The project must also include proposed action steps toward issues such as, healthcare, education, environment, political organizing, crisis response, and cultural identity. Students will be provided with a notes template and rubric to guide them through the drafting, editing, and revision stages. Students will have time to develop their projects and will present their visions to the larger school community through means of posters, videos, or websites. Students will conclude the project by reflecting on their use of skills, such as collaboration, design, detail, and presentation of ideas, as well as an evaluation of the project’s application to their future college, career, or community plans.