Humanities Amped

For Tyrea, a 12th grade student at McKinley High School, the Humanities Amped program teaches that “you can make change in the world, not through violence, but through your voice.” For J’Arius, Humanities Amped means that “school doesn’t have to be miserable.” We believe that school should be a place where every student feels the way that Tyrea and J’Arius do— interested in learning and ready to participate in civic life. In 2014, Humanities Amped began as one class with 25 students and two teachers. Today we provide 22 classes for 250+ students. Little by little, we are transforming education from the inside out.

Schools that serve majority Black and immigrant youth from working class backgrounds face an array of challenges in the era of high stakes testing and divestment in public education: one in three students in our parish doesn’t make it to graduation, and teacher turnover is sharply on the rise. In Louisiana, the prison capital of the world, school suspensions and expulsions are among the strongest contributing factors to youth criminalization. There is an alarming need to invest in opportunities for youth in public schools.

At Humanities Amped, we believe that investment begins with changing the way students are perceived, not as problems to be solved, but as problem solvers. Grassroots engagement is the heart of our mission, and it can be seen in the Humanities Amped classroom every day— whether in our student-led Restorative Justice Lab, the action research of our English Language Learner cohorts, the community oral histories being collected in our African American Studies classes, or the student Writing Leaders who teach writing to 4th and 5th grade students each week at neighboring Buchanan Elementary.    

Tyrea, J’Arius, and the hundreds of other capable Humanities Amped students deserve no less than our full investment. Please invest with us by making a donation directly here!

Every dollar you donate to Humanities Amped amplifies opportunities for a young person to participate fully and joyfully in the education that each person deserves to have.

See more of our work at:
www.humanitiesamped.com
https://www.facebook.com/Humanities-Amped-1787147194852962/