Youth Above Systems: The Black Paper

YOUTH ABOVE SYSTEMS

THEBLACKPAPER

A YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT

The presence of a uniformed police officer can produce the same tension and fear felt by youth during parental removal As such, Youth Rise Texas believes that schools must divest from school resource officers (SROs) and other forms of school-based policing to ensure that all students receive equitable, trauma-informed support

477,000 of our young people throughout Texas who participate in our high school-based programming have lived through the trauma of having a parent or caretaker removed from their homes due to criminalization, detention and/or deportation As though this wasn't enough, unfortunately, they repeatedly cite retraumatizing experiences in their schools They describe relived past trauma through racially-motivated punitive responses to behavior, including police intervention, school-based racial discrimination, interpersonal dynamics that replicate past trauma, and staff responses that neglect the academic and emotional needs of young students of color

I N T R O D U C T I O N

YRTX's

Youth Above Systems group

(From L to R), Back: Carlos Barron & Sebastian De Anda; Middle: Natalia Rodriguez-Gloria, Near Rivera, Kyrsten Hicks; Front: Tania Lara

Not Pictured: Malaika Beg

Policing in schools is an issue that should not be taken lightly.

In 2022, a diverse team of Youth Rise Texas (YRTX) visionaries ranging from high school students to young adults joined together as a Youth Above Systems (Y.A.S) team and developed a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) project aimed at sharing the stories of youth of color impacted by parental separation due to deportation or criminalization.

The project expanded to better understand multiple facets of youth’s lives, including their educational experiences and mental health challenges. Led by a collective desire to address the challenges faced by today’s youth, our team sought to collect data used to conduct public education campaigns and advocacy efforts that will support youth experiencing parental removal and other challenges.

YPAR is a project designed to empower young people to identify and dismantle systemic barriers and enact transformative change within their communities. Youth voices lead the initiative and are at its core - by valuing open dialogue, active listening, and respectful engagement; young minds can rise from oppression and prioritize healing within their communities.

The project encompasses four stages: problem identification, data collection, analysis, and action. In the initial stage, youth explore their environment and reflect upon current conditions within their community. Subsequently, they strategically design research tools to gather information from people in their locality. Finally, youth assess collected information to identify trends and leverage their findings to bring about direct change.

P R O J E C T

D E S I G N I N G T H E

Prior to embarking on the problem identification stage, youth attended political education trainings and were introduced to the elements of a YPAR project.

DEVELOPING THE INTERVIEWS 1 2

3

Understanding Their Communities

The team then explored our environment and communities to determine the most prevailing challenges impacting youth of color

Developing the Questions

The team developed an initial interview protocol asking questions about youth’s experiences with mental health, parental removal, and School Resource Officers (SRO’s) in school (note that interviewees were allowed to share about their current and past experiences with SRO’s).

Revising the Interviews

After piloting these interviews, the team revised their interview protocol to solicit more openended responses The revised protocol included additional follow up questions which allowed for rich, multi-faceted perspectives on the key issues impacting youth today

RECRUITMENT & INTERVIEW PROCEDURES

The Y.A.S team was determined to make sure our peers, youth of color, had a platform to express our voices and conducted comprehensive research on the greater Austin metro area to identify high-impact locations where the team could recruit participants.

Y.A.S. researchers actively sought out potential participants in public events such as high school football games, university campuses, shopping malls, parks, and local events like the Dia De Los Muertos Parade, Martin Luther King Jr March, and Protest for Palestinian Rights. Our goal was to ensure that our outreach was as wide-reaching and inclusive as possible. With this in mind, the Y.A.S team worked hard to create an environment that would be inviting and welcoming to the youth of color we sought to recruit.

All interviews were conducted by at least two trained Y.A.S team members. Given the sensitive nature of the topics covered, participants were given the option to not respond or leave the interview at any time. The interviews were conducted primarily in English and a handful were conducted in Spanish by a bilingual Y.A.S team member. All interviews were recorded using audio recording devices and later transcribed using Otter.ai.

IN TOTAL, THE Y.A.S TEAM CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS WITH 508 YOUTH.

In line with the goal of surveying youth of color, 142 youth identified as Hispanic/Latino (33%), 96 as Asian (23%), 79 as Black (19%), 50 as White (12%) and 55 as Biracial/Multiracial/Other (13%) Across 59 unique schools, 39% of youth interviewed were recently graduated students attending college/university, 31% attended various middle and high schools in the Austin Independent School District (AISD), and 30% attended public schools in other districts or private/charter schools

ANALYZING THE DATA

Youth on the Y.A.S team were trained on how to conduct qualitative data analysis by a graduate level qualitative researcher. All team members completed three rounds of qualitative coding using a grounded theory approach. This approach allows concepts to emerge directly from the data and given the large number of participants interviewed, this was necessary to capture the wide variability in participant’s responses.

Y.A.S youth and a graduate level researcher worked in small teams to conduct open coding and identify major categories. Following this review, the team met to discuss their initial impressions of the data and develop a coding scheme for the second round of qualitative analysis. During the discussion, 5 subject areas and 17 key categories emerged related to School Resource Officers (SRO’s), mental health, Covid-19, and parental removal/separation. 1

First Round

In the second round, team members worked in pairs and individually to code the data according to the agreed coding scheme 2

Second Round

Third Round

In the final round, team members shared the results of their analyses and established consensus among a final set of coded segments and codes.

Note: All quotes presented here were transcribed verbatim and edited only for the omission of hesitation words. 3

PERSPECTIVES ON:

Ambivalence regarding the presence of SRO’s on campus amid a mass shooting crisis in America

The Y A S team collected 549 data points related to SRO’s while analyzing the data The results demonstrated that students had complex feelings regarding the presence of SRO’s on campus Their responses revealed contradictions related to having SRO’s on campus and their unintended, sometimes harmful consequences Students had opposing perspectives For example, some students had positive perceptions:

“Well, I know mine personally He's a really chill guy Yeah, he's really cool He has a lot of interesting stories He's actually spoken a couple of times at our school Nobody dislikes him He's really respectful It's awesome ”

“They are very helpful, and they keep us safe.”

“I think it's good that like, we have some sort of like protection at our school otherwise, like, without that we'd probably feel unsafe, like what happened last year, especially like at Uvalde Like that type of shooting, like it's good to have reinforcement, and officers at our school ”

While other students had strong negative perceptions and drew attention to deep-seated systemic challenges linking youth to police:

“I wouldn't trust them.”

“The vibe, I think it's like, very, like policing kids, which is not good. Kind of scares people from learning and like, being open in that environment.”

“I think security officers are heavily aligned with the police force And a lot of people have past traumatic experiences with the police or their like, family or friends, you know So it's definitely caused a like an emotional and a nervous system reaction to it ”

“I hate cops I don't believe that they should be in schools They don't provide any sort of like safety And if anything, they just perpetuate like, criminalization of students of color ”

Various students recognized both their positive and negative effects:

“Well, there are some that are like okay, but then there are others that take it too far ”

SRO’S MENTAL HEALTH PARENTAL REMOVAL COVID-19

“Um, I think they're supposed to make us safe, but I don't feel necessarily safe nor bothered by them.”

These findings capture the complex relationship between youth and SRO’s. While some students value the added security that SRO’s bring to their schools in a country plagued by gun violence and school shootings, others feel unsafe in the presence of SRO’s. When asked about their experiences with over policing or the targets of SRO’s, several students observed students of color being targeted by SRO’s:

“I feel like their presence is more as like an intimidation tactic ...I feel like they also focus on a certain demographic of people…In my school, there were like, a lot of like, white kids who would like sell drugs and…they were never caught by like the security officers. But like, if you were like, black or brown, and you were caught, like in the middle of like walking to another class, you'd be like, “what are you doing?”

“Because I'm black like there aren't that many black people on campus and then there's a lot of police are like walking around at night. I feel unsafe because I like I don't know if they're gonna think I'm like suspicious or anything like that.”

When asked about alternatives to SRO’s, many students expressed a desire for increased mental health support from trained staff and teachers. Student’s shared:

“

… they should just get rid of security. School and just put that money towards teachers, because they're the ones who actually care about the kids and make those connections to the kids that really affect them later on in life.”

“...Mental health resources…that really offer youth…an opportunity to like, take a break from their learning and, like really focus on their own well being and health is so beneficial. And really invest in like, mental health workers or social workers who are specialized in like transformative care, restorative care that's not like grounded in like punitive measures. It's all about like, reinvesting in our community and in youth because their voices are the ones that matter the most ”

Schools

have mental health resources, but they are in desperate need of reform

Alongside serving as a replacement to police in schools, students were asked about their schools’ mental health supports 482 data points related to mental health were uncovered during analysis A majority of students surveyed reported that their school offered mental health resources in various forms including mobile apps and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons However, several students also shared that their school did not offer mental health support or that the support that existed were lacking

They shared critical concerns related to understaffed and overworked mental health professionals and accessibility issues including long wait times:

“I think they have a mental health wellness center, which is really nice. And I think that's something all schools should have. But I think the fact that it's really difficult to access… [and] to see someone in time, like when you need it…they're super backed up, they don't have enough staff, they don't have enough resources, whatever it is.”

These findings demonstrate a mental health system in need of tremendous reform to better support students during pivotal adolescent and early adulthood years In addition to improving accessibility, school mental health supports should embrace a holistic, whole-person focused approach Particularly given the widespread negative effects of Covid-19 on youth’s health and academic and socioemotional experiences, youth deserve mental health resources well-aligned with a positive youth development framework that is focused on affirming and nurturing their needs

Youths’ struggle during Covid19: Worsening mental health and unsupportive family environments

After analyzing student responses, 444 data points related to Covid-19 were uncovered in the data. An overwhelming majority of students interviewed reported that their mental health worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“My issue is, we don't have money to be able to like provide more counselors for the school. So not only are those counselors taking on, like mental health issues and family issues and all sorts of other stuff, they're also dealing with our grades as well, and they're not getting paid enough for that.”

This drastic life change, increased isolation, and uncertainty related to health and academics introduced new and lasting challenges in these student’s lives which they continue to grapple with today:

“I think COVID made my mental health a lot worse. Just because…I was lonely so I was like really sad and like depressed. And then when things started getting back to normal even now I feel very anxious that like I might get sick or I might get someone else sick…”

"I think, for me, when I was a junior, I was online for the whole year. And so it was really, really difficult Not having a community also, I wasn't really spending time with people because my dad at the time was immunocompromised So I was just very isolated And that was a really hard year ”

Not only did students struggle with social isolation and increased concerns about their health and safety, many struggled to adjust to their new online academic environments:

"It was just hard mostly in school because I'm a in-person learner. I'm a visual learner. So I felt myself struggling to get good grades again, and that really took a toll on my mental health.”

Another theme which emerged when discussing the Covid-19 pandemic with students was related to the ways in which parents influenced youth’s mental health.

While nearly all students reported the positive effects their friends had on their mental health during Covid-19, many students reported the challenges they faced in discussing their mental health challenges with their parents:

“So my parents have been very strict growing up It wasn't really a conversation in the household, you know, it was more of just like a ‘You get your things done and you take your you take care of yourself,’ and that sort of thing So I kind of had to get out of the mindset that it's like, my fault and [that] mental health resources are something that we can utilize to take care of ourselves ”

“I'm West African. And so like, mental health is a very, very taboo topic. And like, my parents are both medical professionals but they believe like it could happen to other people, but not to their own kids. And so, for a long time, they thought I was just like acting out for attention…”

Parents and families play critical roles in shaping their children’s development, particularly during pivotal transition years like the transition to high school and college.

“Definitely, it was, it was hard going from an in person environment to something virtual, which felt essentially pretty isolating. And as someone who's pretty introverted, I didn't really know how to reach out to others and make that connection with others because it fell upon me on my own shoulders…It definitely took a toll on my mental health.”

These findings demonstrate an important area of opportunity for schools, communities, and parents to join together and create a sphere of support for young people as they navigate their personal mental health struggles.

Students experiencing parental removal need additional support

Echoing the important role of parents, the absence of parents due to deportation, incarceration, or other factors can have devastating impacts on a child’s life The Y A S team collected 109 data points related to parental separation during their analysis Among those who had experienced or witnessed someone experiencing parental separation, they shared their experiences and hardships:

“Well, in fifth grade, my dad got deported So it was like very hard It was a hard situation It's going better now I moved on from a situation He's still there ”

“....Sometimes I would see my friends crying, because…their Tio got taken away by ICE… and they would be terrified if the next day [that it] was their mom or their dad…”

“My mother, unfortunately, she is schizophrenic, and she has a drug addiction, which is unfortunate And she's actually in jail right now I would say that it has caused very deep like mother wounds I'm not really sure even know how to go about it at times But I know that I'm here and the counselors here are able to help me ”

Others described the importance of better supporting the youth who are experiencing these challenges:

“This is something that happens around us, regardless of whether we know about it or not…And we ' re either a part of the system or we are upholding the system, either by being ignorant about it, or by being privileged enough to not have to deal with it. So we need to be having these conversations to support and be allies.”

“I think, because it's a common…threat that looms over everyone all the time, I think there should be a plan…I think it would suit a lot of anxieties, especially that kids have. …That anxiety that lingers every day, is like a very common source of trauma for our community… so we need to, like have a conversation about how to help people who are been affected by it.”

While some youth reported receiving support from counselors and teachers in navigating these challenges, others felt isolated and needed additional resources Schools are meant to provide safe and supportive environments for students, and as such, should make the intentional shift to be more supportive of system-involved students and families

The uncovering of this research project bring great concern and call attention to reform needed to duly support youth. The Y.A.S team calls to action the Austin Independent School District (AISD) and neighboring communities which shelter the students whose voices were showcased in this report to reflect on these findings critically and take action.

Specifically, the Y A S team cautions the presence of SRO’s in schools and recommends instead an overhaul of the current mental health structures in place. Students are struggling in a post Covid-19 world and those experiencing parental separation face even more challenges.

AISD and local leaders are responsible for transforming educational spaces using a holistic approach by embracing the guiding principles of positive youth development and trauma-informed pedagogy. By harnessing the power of youth voices, AISD can restore its fragmented mental health system and create environments where all students can thrive and flourish.

C A L L T O A C T I O N

AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

In 2020, Youth Rise Texas (YRTX) developed a Youth Participatory Action Research Project (YPAR) aimed at better understanding multiple facets of youth of color’s lived experiences including their educational experiences and mental health challenges.

Youth leaders at YRTX interviewed 508 students and recent graduates of the AISD community.

DOverall Grade Meets few expectations of the Austin Community

The qualitative analysis of these interviews revealed that many students do not feel safe or well-supported by their schools. These findings bring great concern and call attention to critical reform needed to duly support youth.

THE ROOM OF THE UNHEARD

A room is supposed to be a person ’ s comfort place. This is a physical representation of who they are as a person. In their room, they laugh, cry, sleep, scream… It’s your home within your home.

When we were told that our goal was to create a form of art with the data that we collected from our interviews we had the amazing idea of creating a room to portray the life of a teenager who is affected by the systems we present in our data The inspiration behind this was Pandora’s Box In Greek mythology, when Pandora opened this box it released curses upon mankind This room is a Pandora’s Box It doesn’t contain curses, but generational trauma, undiagnosed issues, and a cry for help This room is the space of a non-binary marginalized person of color with both of their parents being deported In this room, every piece and part of the room has a meaning From the bed to the diary Throughout the room you can find examples of the consequences of policing in school, the lack of mental health resources, and the impact of COVID in the youth

Our message and goal is to give the youth, us, a voice We are affected by these issues, but we ’ re the last ones being heard We are tired of suffering in silence in our “ room ” Making this art is our way of “stepping out of our rooms ” in an effort to be heard

"The Room", created by Carlos Barron & Sebastian De Anda, is an interactive art experience featuring a life-size bedroom with a constant loop of visuals & audio to represent the issues YAS' research focused on

Carlos Barron, 18 AISD Graduate

Sebastian De Anda, 19 AISD Graduate

MAPPED HEART &GRAFFITI

The goal with this map is to create a visual guide of our data by taking a more logistical approach and bringing light to the bigger picture. The graffiti art that surrounds it is meant to express both the creativity that Travis County has to offer, and to address the way art can be used to present a problem to a larger audience. Sometimes you have to make problems look pretty or cool for them to catch someone ’ s eye.

Using a map of Travis County and glitter, we hoped to provide folks with a visual understanding of the trends of which high school students are the most affected by the problems we studied The density of the glitter represents the amount of resources needed at the high schools in that neighborhood Note that the map does not reflect specific Travis County high schools, but is instead divided by neighborhood to show the disparities that exist throughout the county (and city of Austin)

The most glitter can be found on the East side, showing how this neighborhood–which is historically home to the most BIPOC students–is disproportionately affected by a lack of resources Compared to others in the county, these are the schools that lack proper mental health resources, resources for students dealing with parental removal, and have hostile SROs. Through this map, not only do we conclude that there exists a disparity in our city, but we also understand that said disparity is one dictated by race and class.

The graffiti surrounding the map serves as an artistic telling of YAS' whole research project. The wall is decorated with the issues that we determined must be addressed by our schools and government. Behind the wall stands a crowd of young people & our organization's name, meant to show that we (YRTX) share those problems with the Travis County community and we are here with them also trying to be heard. The barbed wire lining the wall, physically separating the crowd and the issues, is meant to show the difficulty of the task of creating change but also, our resilience and dedication to making sure it gets done.

"Mapped Heart & Graffiti", created by Malaika Beg & Kyrsten Hicks, is a mixed media piece on a 48" x 60" canvas. It holds a painted density map of Travis County, using glitter to represent the disproportionate access to resources that exist throughout the county's high schools. It is surrounded by a painting of a group of young people and a graffitied wall.

These kids are the next generation that will be teaching and working important jobs, their needs need to be met in order for everyone to thrive. So with great hope and faith, we hope to turn some heads with our painting.

Malaika Beg, 19 AISD Graduate

Kyrsten Hicks, 15 AISD Student

UNVEILING RESILIENCE

When we first started the journey of research, there were some obstacles, like questions we needed to refine to get the stories we wanted to get, but alongside the team of YAS we were able to tackle that task together. As we continue to move along in the process, we knew that we wanted to accurately represent marginalized youth and their voices.

Our sculpture is a non binary person, they are someone who visibly looks tired and overwhelmed They’re wearing baggy clothes and a clear backpack We wanted to showcase that Wearing baggy clothes is not always a fashion choice, sometimes you wear them because hand-me-downs are all that you can afford or because it's the only way you can feel safe, protected and comfortable from everything else around you Their clothes have quotes of, these quotes are one of the ways we implement the youth’s stories we wanted it to be known that they are not alone These labels are what they feel and what they wear everyday This sculpture is not only one person, this sculpture is the youth’s story as a whole

The backpack has school supplies, a diary, a mask and many other things Our inspiration behind the backpack shows that connection towards what they go through at home The messy book, to the unorganized papers, shows the stress behind school In our research we found that, youth get stressed out of school, that's a factor on how they portray in their daily life They carry all of this stress back at home

"Unveiling Resilience", created by Near Rivera & Natalia Rodriguez-Gloria, is a lifesize cast sculpture of their non-binary character, meant to be an all-encompassing representation of the youth they interviewed. The clothing on the sculpture is adorned with words from the stories YAS heard. Finally, the contents of the clear backpack connect the character to "The Room of the Unheard".

This art piece is us revealing the adaptation of challenging life experiences of youth’s life. It’s important to make it known that our voices, our experiences, and our battles are what makes us who we are today, and will continue to shape us in the future. The youth are the future.

Near Rivera, 16 PFISD Student

Natalia Rodriguez-Gloria, 17 AISD Student

YAS!- The Black Paper will be a powerful tool that amplifies our collective voice

As Co-Executive Directors of Youth Rise Texas, we extend the sincerest congratulations to everyone on the Youth researchers team for all their hard work in producing Youth Above Sytems The Showcase and The Black Paper We are proud and inspired by your dedication, resilience, and commitment to advocating for change within the criminal legal system

Your research has contributed greatly to the knowledge and understanding of the impact of policing in schools, as well as providing valuable insight into strategies for addressing these issues. We are deeply grateful for your tireless efforts in uncovering the truth and pushing for positive change

Through these initiatives, we hope to build power with young people across Texas and advocate for meaningful policy change We thank staff, donors, family members, and our community for supporting Youth Rise Texas! Together, we ’ re working towards stronger communities where young people are at the forefront of transformative change

We hope that YAS!- The Black Paper will be a powerful tool that amplifies our collective voice, catalyzes action toward meaningful reform, and helps create a world in which all young people can reach their full potential

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Co-Executive Directors of Youth Rise Texas

Bria Virgil B Darriana Donegan &

D I R E C T O R S ’ N O T E

CREDIT

We would like the acknowledge the contributions of the people who worked tirelessly on the projects mentioned within.

Below, are the names of those who worked for the publication of this report

Youth Researchers

Carlos Barron

Malaika Beg

Sebastian De Anda

Kyrsten Hicks

Natalia Rodriguez-Gloria

Near Rivera

Program Leader

Tania Lara

Graduate Level Qualitative Researcher

Briana Lopez

Editors Designer of Report

Darriana Donegan

Bria Virgil

Selasi Tagbor Morales

We thank you for your continued support in our efforts to contribute to the SDGs.

SUPPORTERS

We would like the acknowledge the contributions of foundations, community members, and local businesses who have supported our project.

Below, are the names of Patron Level donors.

Nancy Ngwa

Aaron Brown

Dela Kim Warren

Keisha Gillis

Monica Quintanilla

Dr Brandon Johnson

Dr Victoria Daniels

Tiffany Owens-Shabazz

Mia Simmons

www lamoniswaxingstudio com

https://brushycreekdentistryaustin com/

To find out more on how to become a supporter visit or scan the QR code https://youthrisetx.org/support-our-work/

www

net/PRO30048 www.empowerhealthwealth.com

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Youth Above Systems - The Black Paper