RAWK’s Youth Summer Leadership Camp engages high school-aged youth in deepening their self-understanding to recognize the skills and passion they have to bring to leadership.
Dr. Lavender brings her multifaceted education and arts background to designing the program, including her dissertation, TEDx talk, and teaching that centers youths’ voices through Hip Hop. Further, Dr. Lavender engages youth to bring the “funds of knowledge” they possess to their leadership. “Funds of Knowledge” is an educational theory that recognizes the cultural, racial, and community knowledge that we all possess and is ignored in education design that emphasizes the “all-knowing” teacher imparting information to “un-knowing” students.
Dr. Lavender uses this training to co-teach alongside youth participants, centering leadership through an activist lens.
Dr. Lavender utilizes her experience as a hip hop artist and researcher of hip hop education to support youth writing and live studio recording of original hip hop pieces that bring awareness to social justice issues meaningful to them.
