Radical Learning Talks

This episode is an unsual conversation that took place on the last day of our The Shift training we did in Ojai, February 2024. It was requested by one of the participants, and so those of us who wanted gathered and talked about the relationship bewteen peace and self-directed education. The conversation was recorded but not initially intended as an episode for Radical Learning Talks. It was after having recorded that we got the idea to include it on our podcast. Why? Because these kinds of conversations tend to happen during The Shift, but it’s the first time we recorded one, and why not share the beauty? All participants have given their consent to share the recording with y’all. We hope you like it! Participating are Jennie, Spence, Tomas, Rosemary, Janice, Becka and Sari.

Burnout is real. And it’s no stranger to unschooling and/or running alternative education projects! But what does burnout even mean?! Well, it’s not just about being exhausted or simple tasks seeming impossible. It’s when your system actually starts breaking down and you begin loose cognitive functioning because you are operating well above your capacity or means. Too many of us have been there and/or feel stuck in it Why? Well, it’s because of society’s result driven systems that are based on perfectionism, urgency, and the need to constantly be on top of your game. In this episode we chat about our burnout, what caused it, how we are recovering from it and how we are working to shift a lifetime of programmings in order to not just survive, but heal and thrive. Wanna join us for the ride? Listen in! ~ Resources mentioned in episode: Burnout support: Sanna Koritz @ https://www.sannakoritz.com Freedom to Learn Course: https://radical-learning.thinkific.com/courses/freedom-to-learn

Once again, we have the great honor of having Dr. Sundiata Soon-Jahta on our podcast! This time, we talk about how social justice movements can often perpetuate the very systems of oppression and power-over dynamics that we’re trying to walk away from, resulting in what Dr. Sundiata shares is a system archetype called a “feedback loop”. The solution? Well, as a systems thinker and anti-oppression organizer, Dr. Sundiata suggests that we all engage in some serious inner work. He believes that change is fractal and when we change within, it affects our outside reality and those around us. So, instead of feeling disempowered by all the injustice we see in our world, we can empower ourselves to be the very change we dream of and show up for our young people, families and communities in the ways we truly strive to. ~ You can find all of Dr. Sundiata's work including his Theory of Indivisibility and other think pieces and resources mentioned in the episode here: https://drsundiata.com https://drsundiata.com/blog/ And if you enjoy what you hear, please consider supporting Dr. Sundiata's work here: https://www.patreon.com/LiveIndivisible/posts

It’s not often we decide to get together and offer The Shift, our 7-day in person Deschooling Intensive. For those who’ve taken it, they know the magic that is involved. For those who haven’t yet, it might be hard to understand what the fuss is all about. So, we decided to record an episode on what’s up with The Shift, so that you can get a clearer and better understadning of why this offering is a must if you’re a parent or if you work with kids! And… if after listening you still have questions, please reach out! We’d love to talk to you.

For us, unschooling is about so much more than learning or who gets to decide what it is and how and when it unfolds. It's about dismantling the power structures that keep all of us less than who we are or have the potential to be. And this starts with looking at our own limiting thoughts and beliefs. In this episode of Radical Learning Talks we chat Orion, a healing companion and trans man who helps us dive into the topic of being transgender. How can you support a trans kid? How do you work through your own discomfort and fears to be present and fully show up for them in their growth, learning and discovery? This is for all of us who have or know kids that identify as non binary and/or trans and want to better understand how to support them in their journey.

Many adults spend so much time preparing kids for adulthood in ways that society has predetermined as the necessary or “right way”. Yet, we don’t realize that this comes at the expense of their childhood. And, many of us have even lost touch with what childhood is all about. In this episode we talk about the clash we often see between what many adults seem to want for their kids, and the societal pressure and fear of the future that disconnects us and our kids from the essence of childhood.

We like to think about deschooling as meeting and expanding beyond our edges into new versions of ourselves that better align with our desired way to live and show up in the world. But what happens when our change rubs people we care about the wrong way? What happens when we or they don’t quite feel like we belong anymore? In this episode which is coming out juuuust in time for the holidays, we talk about what can happen when our transformation causes friction with others and how to stay true to ourselves while honoring where everyone is at.

Raising kids with respect, consent, autonomy and freedom in our society is definitely going against the norm. It can then be very confusing to see our free-ranged kids question their independence and freedom, push back against limits and behave in ways that society would easily label as “spoiled or bratty”. On one hand, it’s easy to blame our parenting and on the other, let’s face it… it’s triggering as fuck and hard to deal with. In this episode we explore all of it, including some big triggering moments and how we are learning to be more gentle with ourselves as we and our kids balance between freedom and responsibility.

Language and how we use it are important and can be one of the many ways we either move towards or away from individual and collective liberation. So many of us are questioning systems of oppression in our deschooling work, yet if we aren’t vigilant we can easily slip into old ways of thinking, speaking and behaving - especially when we are faced with language and ideas that rub up against our current beliefs. In this episode we talk with our friend Meghan from The Unschool Files about language policing and advancing the liberation movement through solidarity. 

Kids are usually brought up to tell the truth, but the truth is adults lie all the time. So, why do we lie? What does it do to us and to our relationships? How does it make us feel? And when kids lie to us - what is that really about? And what can we do about it? In this episode of Radical Learning Talks we explore the phenomenon of lying!