Episode 8: What We Got Wrong ft. Youth Leader, Kyra Hughes-Bester

Kyra Hughes-Bester is a remarkable youth leader and a friend of St. Paul Youth Services. She joins the podcast for a fearless conversation that explores some of the mistakes adults have made when working with her through challenging times; as well as what they’ve gotten right. Tracine and Kyra also talk about SPYS’ youth-centric approach, where Kyra has been active in the YouthPowerMN℠ Leadership Institute for the past five years. The YouthPowerMN℠ Leadership Institute offers an organizing hub where Black youth are compensated for their intellectual capital, lived experiences, and contributions to improve our communities. 

This conversation, and others like it, can help us – as adults, changemakers, and leaders – chart a more thoughtful and inclusive path forward for our young people by learning from our mistakes (and successes). 

*The music you hear on the podcast is provided by Blue Dot Sessions and is used here under a Creative Commons License.

Further Reading:

• In the Community — St. Paul Youth Services

• The Beloved Community: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Prescription for a Healthy Society by HuffPost News

• Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire

• Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope by bell hooks

• Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks

• The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson

• Critical Pedagogy and Race by Zeus Leonardo

• Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Beverly Daniel Tatum

• Supporting Data:

• Twin Cities Metro Regional Disparities by Race and Origin

• Data show disparities between Black and white Minnesotans in education, income, criminal justice are among the worst in the nation

• Minnesota’s education system shows persistent opportunity gaps by race. For Minnesota’s Native American children and children of color, education disparities continue over a lifetime

References:

St. Paul Youth Services:

• Learn more about YouthPowerMN℠ Leadership Institute 

• YouthPowerMN℠ Leadership Institute Videos

• Vision, Mission, Services, and Values

• Behavior Intervention Program (BIP)

• Our Approach & Services 

• Saint Paul Public Schools

• The Art & History Of Stepping by NBC4

• Kyra’s Song List (Links to YouTube):

• Koryn Hawthorne - Won't He Do It (Official Music Video)

• J. Cole - MIDDLE CHILD      

• Lil Baby - Emotionally Scarred