Voices of Disruption with Deborah Olatunji

Zoë Jenkins \/\ Disrupting CIVIC EDUCATION and DIVERSITY

December 14, 2020 Deborah Olatunji Season 1 Episode 10
Voices of Disruption with Deborah Olatunji
Zoë Jenkins \/\ Disrupting CIVIC EDUCATION and DIVERSITY
Show Notes
How many times have you heard the phrase “college and career ready?” Would you say that your education experience has made you “life-ready?” What skills do you wish you were taught in high school? How well do you know yourself?

There are key skills that we should have learned like personal development, cultural awareness, civic engagement, and self-advocacy. In this heartfelt episode, Deborah sits down to chat with Zoë Jenkins, an education activist from Kentucky, NatGeography Young Explorer, and high school drop out. Yes, you read that right! After spending time with the Civics Unplugged program this summer, a fellowship designed to teach students about democratic theory, personal development, and systems thinking, Zoë founded DICCE, a diversity, inclusion, cultural competency, and equity program for Gen Z by Gen Z. They talk about how to talk about race with younger students and how to tackle systemic inequalities in the education system They also discuss the skill of parenting yourself, how to choose a community that chooses you back, and what it really means to be civically engaged.

They also talk about how education is supposed to prepare students for life skills, what it looks like to amplify young people’s voices, how to elevate (and pay) Black people in the art of storytelling. Zoë is making quite a number of disruptions in the education space, but emphasized the fact that you can still be unstoppable while taking the time to rest, “bad people” are a product of bad education, and that you can control your time in a way that allows for creativity, curiosity, and exploration. They chat about core values, Black girlhood, and rocking the boat.

You can find Zoë Jenkins on Instagram @thezoejenkins and on her website https://zoe-jenkins.com!

Join and connect with the community led by Deborah Olatunji on Instagram @deb_olatunji and the podcast page https://www.deboraholatunji.com!

Be sure to leave a rating and written review so that we can share the stories of how fellow disruptors are being connected and empowered all over the world. Let’s disrupt together now!