Meet the student leaders making it happen across Tennessee
EmpowerED is built on the belief that students are credible experts who are already equipped with all of the strength and power they need to fix the problems they see in their schools and communities. When young people are equipped with a few tools to be agents of change in their schools and communities, the impact reaches far beyond the classroom.
Our Origin Story
EmpowerED is an initiative of EdTrust-Tennessee, where student voice has always been an integral piece of our identity.
In 2020, our high school and college students from across the state were invited to participate in a virtual panel to describe their experience with interrupted learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through virtual workshops and youth development training, students found space to narrate their triumphs and struggles as they navigated and adjusted to a new learning environment.
Those conversations grew into a statewide network of youth seeking education equity and justice. Fundamental to our student engagement approach is the understanding that, far too often, students are spoken for. EmpowerED aims to create a platform for the voices and opinions of youth. By equipping students to tell their own stories, we aim to provide a framework where students are the primary sources of knowledge and are empowered to bring about the change they wish to see in their schools and communities.
Mission
Elevate
youth voice on the most pressing education equity issues in Tennessee.
Invest
in youth leaders by offering training, workshops, and convenings focused on education policy and advocacy, and other opportunities to develop their identity, leadership, and socio-political consciousness.
Amplify
youth perspectives and stories related to core education issues in order for them to advocate on bills, policies, and practices they support or oppose.
Connect
with other youth across the state and nation to build a strong network of fierce advocates and changemakers!
TSU students are concerned about campus’s future after Comptroller report
The students at the Tennessee State University say they understand the campus needs help especially when it comes to housing. But they are concerned about the state’s involvement in their future. Tennessee State University had a record enrollment in [...]
Pandemic stress weighs heavily on Gen Z: AP-NORC, MTV poll
Isolation. Anxiety. Uncertainty. The stresses of the coronavirus pandemic have taken a toll on Americans of all ages, but a new poll finds that teens and young adults have faced some of the heaviest struggles as they come of [...]
The Student-Affirming Education Needed for Our Children and Our Nation’s Future
Classrooms should always be places of discovery, of questioning, of gaining new perspectives. Students benefit the most when they learn about themselves and the world in a safe space with teachers who provide them with honest education and accurate [...]
