EDTalks: How to Lead So Adults Will Listen (and Other Lessons from Young People)

Mikisha Nation carries a deep cultural understanding of the wisdom of youth voice that's influenced both by her personal experience of migrating from Jamaica to the U.S. as well as her role in leading youth development programs for low-income students, BIPOC and Indigenous students, and students from immigrant, multilingual and first-generation backgrounds. Elevating these diverse voices is often not prioritized in American culture: adults make decisions about the lives of young people all the time without their input and with far-reaching implications. Mikisha will explore five essential leadership lessons she’s gained from listening to young people and will also discuss how youth can have a powerful impact on adult leadership as they work to change power dynamics in education. She’ll draw from her personal experiences as a young immigrant, as a mother of young children who is navigating K-12 and postsecondary education systems, and as a dedicated professional working in the field of youth development for 20+ years. EDTalks is a lively series of community conversations about public education and related issues that impact our young people. Each EDTalks features two compelling, short presentations by cutting-edge educators, youth advocates, students, artists or community leaders. EDTalks is supported by a generous grant from the Bush Foundation.