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GC’s very own FAO Schwarz Fellow Ellie Sanchez is currently teaching the GC Core Program to an 8th grade class at the Joseph Lee K-8 School in Dorchester, MA. While Ellie’s primary job is to be Boston’s Program Associate, she’s also stepped into the shoes of our Democracy Coaches to teach a GC class for the first time. Each week, Ellie will be sharing with us stories from the classroom: lessons she’s learned, updates on her class’s project, and much more. Enjoy!

November 4, 2015: Why Community Engagement Matters

This week we had Dylan Lazerow, from the Youth Jobs Coalition, come speak to our students about ways they could work to combat youth violence. From getting their school to unify and rally for more funding to youth programming, to asking for a meeting with recently elected city councilor Andrea Campbell, Dylan offered some really great insight on concrete efforts students could engage with in this fight. As I discussed in episode two, one of the toughest things about being a Democracy Coach is getting my students to buy in to the idea that they have the power to make change, when they get so many messages that in reality this isn’t the case. This interaction with a coalition that does amazing, hard work for the community of Dorchester has hopefully brought them closer to realizing that they are not alone, that their community is with them, and that change can come.

-Ellie Sanchez

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