October 2016 Student Organization Feature — Providence Student Union

There are many organizations similar to Student Voice who share a common mission: to make sure all students can have a voice in their education. As a part of Student Voice’s new Monday night programming structure, we are working to feature the work that these organizations are doing. We are continuing to build our network and recognize just how valuable and important other organization’s work is and as a result, we hope to make you, our followers, more informed and aware of all the groundbreaking work being completed in education spaces throughout the US.

The Providence Student Union is an organization that was created in the spring of 2010 by a group of students from Hope High School, one of the largest high schools in its district. With the help and support of fellow students and faculty members, the Providence Student Union has expanded to six different schools spread all across Rhode Island. The Providence Student Union works to “[build] student power to ensure that young people have a fair say in improving their education.” Structure wise, the organization is primarily managed by students with a wide variety of duties and responsibilities. But there are also three adults who help provide assistance to the citywide leadership team when it comes to planning major events and meetings.

In our student organization feature this month, we spoke with a leading member of the Providence Student Union and discussed everything from their experience with the Providence Student Union to the importance of civic participation at all ages.

Brandon is a senior at Hope High School and works as a member of the student leadership team. As a member of the leadership team, Brandon helps facilitate meetings both at his school and in the Providence Student Union office space. Throughout the four years, Brandon has played a role in some of the largest accomplishments made by the Providence Student Union. Here are some highlights from our conversation:

SV: “How did you get involved with the Providence Student Union?”

B: “It’s kind of funny actually. One afternoon I didn’t really have anything to do and my friend told me about a cool meeting that she was going to. She seemed really excited about it but I really just tagged along for the fun of it. Once I got there though, it was a really welcoming environment. The students who were there were really nice and it was really cool to see how passionate they were about making changes in our school and I was ready to join them.”

SV: “How does the Providence Student Union help engage students outside of their schools?”

B: “Great question. The first thing that comes to mind is the PSU summer program. Each year, we like to put on a variety of programs available for students throughout the year, especially the summer. Each program has a theme that still relates to the idea of finding and using your voice for change. Last summer, we hosted a program that focused on oppression in general and how to rally around it. We got some great feedback and response to it and want to continue hosting these events each year. I also want to mention, though, that there are other things that we do throughout the school year as well to engage with students. We host programs during the school day and have our weekly club meetings at all six schools we are working in to really encourage more students to join our special movement.”

SV: “What do you hope to accomplish in your time working with the Providence Student Union?”

B: “That’s actually a really interesting question. I have already been here for four years and I don’t really know what I want to accomplish. I can say though that I strongly believe in the work that we do…we really do a great job in engaging students and working with members of the district to make big changes. Not many students can say that they have had the opportunity to participate in rallies and marches like we have. As an organization, we have made it easier for students to get to school each day with free transit passes. We have worked to get rid of a standardized test as a graduation requirement and in general, we have promoted a student's ability to use their voice to make a change.”

SV: “Can you tell me a little bit more about the rallies and marches that you mentioned a moment ago?”

B: “ Yeah…we hosted at city hall over the student’s right to free transit passes and we walked about three miles around the city hall square to really generate the idea that it was a student walking to or from their schools. While many people in the government may be against the idea of a protest, we were really shocked when the mayor came out and explained that he was impressed about the work that we were doing. The rallies that we have hosted have been successful and have helped us accomplish our overall goals as an organization in a way we never thought was possible.”

Want to learn more about the work that the Providence Student Union is completing? Visit https://www.providencestudentunion.org/ to learn more!