Today is the 29th of September, or the 300th day of March depending on who’s counting. At Elmhurst United, the middle school where I recently began my role as a therapist, we have completed our first quarter of remote learning. The familiar fall milestones, such (virtual) back to school night, parent teacher conferences and first report cards are accompanied by the unfamiliar and uneasy backdrop of everything happening right now. The young people I work with have shared how this moment has felt to them, ranging from surreal to sad to ridiculous and as one student shared, like “I can’t even tell what’s a meme now honestly.” 

I want to share something that, amidst all of this craziness, has helped to keep my head and heart looking forward: Elmhurst’s commitment to the full service community school approach, and why this model not only works, but is inherent to unconditional education and social justice.

As Julio Angel Alicea noted in a recent EdSource article:

​Elmhurst is 1 of over 40 schools in the Oakland Unified School District that is listed as a “full service community school” which offers supports like those named above. Elmhurst embodies this model by partnering with organizations like LifeLong Medical, La Clinica, and Seneca to wrap services around students and families, meeting a wide variety of needs. But it goes so much deeper than that. Our Coordination of Services Team (or COST) meets weekly to talk about things that are coming up for students and families. The difficult things impacting our students and families create new challenges but also opportunities for our school team to show up for them. This year we have worked with teachers and families to develop solutions to address food insecurity, technology device and training needs, and housing insecurity . Solutions that we hope will help students and families deal with the insane emotional weight of this moment. 

​The work to dismantle oppressive systems and structures is woven through each team member who brings a deep commitment to sustaining the culture of our students, families, teachers and staff. The team at Elmhurst embodies the spirit of a community school because the success of each individual student is directly connected to the success of the entire school. The collective work done to help nurture that success, to heal what’s wounded and celebrate what’s vibrant and special, is never taken lightly. Whether a student needs counseling, 1-on-1 academic support, case management, therapy, a dental appointment or help with housing, supports are identified based on a collaboration of so many perspectives, skills, ideas and resources. It’s no stretch when Principal Kilian Betlach signs off in his weekly newsletter saying, “No matter what.”

​When we partner with schools to cultivate this idea of “Unconditional Education”, I think it works because it’s rooted in something very real, especially during this moment where all of us feel isolated, overwhelmed and engaged in so many important struggles. Schools as an institution is filled with problems and inequities that demand bold, persistent and compassionate action. And, schools represent a conduit for community energy, a crossroads at which the lives of our youth, our elders and everyone in between intersect and intertwine. Now more than ever, schools need to provide safety and possibility, and we need to cultivate rich partnerships that don’t place that burden solely on students, or teachers, or families, or service providers – it has to be for, of, and lead by the community. This idea of a community model is much, much older than any of us and reflects the wisdom of cultures and societies often devalued by pre-dominant, white supremacist culture that emphasizes the individual over the collective. When we tap into that knowledge we can move toward our the common goal held by both Elmhurst and Seneca: to sustain the culture of our communities, and to do so with unyielding love and passion for a more just world. I am profoundly lucky to be able to exist in two spaces that hold the at same value to heart: we are a community, and our collective spirit drives the work we do.

Seneca’s All-In! Partnership Program is in its fifth year partnering with Horace Mann Elementary School in Oakland Unified School District. This year has been unique, as we have started the year providing all services virtually. This has presented some challenges, as well as some opportunities, to connect more with parents and caregivers. 

Our partnership with Horace Mann has also grown over the years into a true collaboration. Seneca staff are integrated members of the Coordination of Services Team (COST), and hence collaborate often with teachers and participate in restorative practices with school staff, students, and families. Particularly during remote learning, Shakera has been instrumental in helping her clients and their families to access not only their educational and academic resources, but basic resources as well, such as food provision and internet access. As our work has shifted during the Shelter-In-Place (SIP), we have been reminded that basic needs are an important part of overall wellness, including mental and emotional wellness. 

​We are grateful for our partnership with Horace Mann and are looking forward to our continued collaboration and all the many adventures that lie ahead!

​Name: Shakera Buchanan
Position: Clinical Intervention Specialist
What led you to your current position? At times I felt like the current position I am in almost fell in my lap. Prior to becoming a Clinician that serves children, youth, and families, I was a Case Manager that provided case management services to formerly homeless and homeless adults for over 12 years. It was not until I went to graduate school through an internship opportunity, where I discovered school- based mental health services. I quickly fell in love with working in this setting and with this population. After this experience, I knew that I wanted to become a school-based clinician and here I am now.
What inspires you to do this work? As a Black woman who is the product of the Oakland Unified School District, OUSD,  and a mother of two children who are students in the OUSD, I feel that I have a duty to give back to a community that has given so much to me. I am inspired by the teachers, administrators and school staff that I have witnessed fight hard, love hard and give so much for our kiddo’s even when it seems like so many  others have given up. I am inspired by the parents and caregivers that despite their limited resources, abilities, and provisions they continue to advocate and show up in support of their children’s education and social emotional growth. I am so inspired by our children that despite any hardships, struggles or oppositions they may face, they persevere with their education with a wholesome attitude. I am so happy that I get to not only witness this but be a part of it in some small way.
What is a recent highlight you’ve experienced in the work or an important lesson you’ve learned in this role? Teamwork does make the dream work. I love our Coordination of Service Team, COST at Horace Mann Elementary School. All school staff and community partners come together and collaborate on best ways to support students and families and they execute this task so well. There have been many students and families who have greatly benefitted from this team’s coordinated efforts and actions.
Share your life motto: My favorite life motto is, This too shall pass. I have experienced many personal hardships in life, as a youth and as well as an adult. I know if I persevere, whatever it is will pass and I will be able to make it through.

​We begin this year at the cross-section of the pandemic’s wide-spread impacts within our community and this powerful moment of confrontation with systemic racism and anti-blackness in our country. We are strengthening our resolve to find new and creative ways to meet the deep and varied needs of students and families and address the many forms of racism still present within our child-serving systems of care. In the words of Bettina Love, we must “engage in the struggle for educational justice knowing that [we] have the ability and human right to refute oppression and refuse to oppress others, mainly [our] students.” Our partnerships in schools are built on aligned vision and commitment to creating school communities where all students can thrive. To this end, we have spent time this summer articulating a set of ongoing commitments and a few key areas where we will be dedicating time and attention in the coming months.

We recognize that reshaping the educational system is ongoing work and, our hope is that, by starting this conversation with concrete commitments, we can specifically articulate the ways in which anti-racism is part of our work in schools.
 
We are looking forward to a year of mutual teaching, learning, and growth!

I am so heartened and excited by two new programs available to Oakland, especially as most of the students, families and schools that I work with (and I myself) reside in Oakland. 

Another service is the MH First Oakland, a project from a regional organization called the Anti-Terror Police Project.  This is a community volunteer phone service that strives to “interrupt and eliminate the need for law enforcement in mental health crisis first response by providing mobile peer support, de-escalation assistance, and non-punitive and life-affirming interventions, therefore decriminalizing emotional and psychological crises and decreasing the stigma around mental health, substance use, and domestic violence, while also addressing their root causes: white supremacy, capitalism, and colonialism.”  

Both CATT and MH First Oakland are new programs that have launched in the past few weeks.  They have limited hours and are beginning to build up their staffing.  They both note that they will call for law enforcement under certain circumstances, so they do not eliminate police presence during a crisis.   
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Even so, both these programs show growth towards creating structures to address the injustices in relying on law enforcement for mental health care.  The ongoing highlight of the abuses of power in law enforcement continually compels me to critically address the need for our clients and families to have alternate ways of dealing with a mental health crisis outside of calling 911.  It is not enough for clients to hope for a responder who can manage the least amount of harm in a critical situation, all the while running the risk of –  like the many instances of the past few years have shown –  an unjust death of a vulnerable person.  This rubs against the training I have received that we ask clients and supports to call 911 when “in crisis.”  Asking clients and families to call 911 covers my liability in addressing risk and aligns with the standard of care that may be expected in the field.  

Under that tension, I must give clients and their supporters more resources like CATT and MH First Oakland; practice calling 911 to request an officer with mental health responder training; have safety plans that include assessing whether a client or guardian would prefer to voluntarily go to a crisis stabilization program like Willow Rock or Children’s Hospital for assessment and help; and explore more hearty early interventions and natural community supports for clients and families.  Giving clients and families more options to choose from can validate lived experiences of threat from powerful, privileged arms of our society.  I am grateful to have the folks at CATT and MH First Oakland launch these new approaches for our clients and families.  I am looking forward to seeing how these public services can improve the standard of care in our field.

Name: Justin Vizinau
Position: Student Support Assistant
What led you to your current position? Upon finishing my undergrad in psychology, my goal was/is to become a therapist/counselor so I started looking for opportunities that would introduce me into the field of work whether directly or indirectly. I always enjoyed working with youth since I was in high school volunteering as a coach for my school’s summer basketball camps. I really wanted to serve the underserved population of kids in my surrounding community so when I came across the SSA position at Seneca it all seemed like a perfect fit. In addition to working with underserved youth in the east bay area, I get to work closely on a team with counselors, teachers, and many more individuals.
What inspires you to do this work? It is a great feeling knowing that I have a chance at positively impacting the lives of those that I serve through my position. The kids that I work with are the future and what happens to them now can have an effect on what they achieve later in their lives, so being able to give them that much more of an opportunity for success is very special.
What is a recent highlight you’ve experienced in the work or an important lesson you’ve learned in this role? Something important that I have learned while working as an SSA is that we can take away just as much from the clients as they take away from us. I have had the opportunity to both learn so much more about myself through this work and continue to build upon skills that are not only necessary to do this work, but that are great skills to have throughout life.
Share your life motto: I think one of the motto’s that I have recently began to use for my own life is “I’m just here to have a good time.” Whether it is with work, continuing my education, spending time with family and friends, or even doing everyday errands life should be a good time even when it seems tedious or frustrating. We have limited amount of time so why not try and enjoy the life we have, and this is the kind of energy I wish to bring to the kids I work with.

As we know, school and learning has gone through a lot of changes during the time of shelter in place. It is now more important than ever for schools to follow PBIS guidelines and have consistent expectations as well as positive behavior supports for students in their distance learning classrooms.  Under the guidance of their Unconditional Education Coach Tiana Dudley, Montalvin Manor K-8 hasn’t skipped a beat in continuing to directly teach their students the expectations for being in class.  Check out their amazing video by clicking below!

​In addition, Tiana has been able to leverage the school’s online platform to deliver Social Emotional Learning lessons to all grades and classes.  If you have a Seesaw account, you can check out a sample video by clicking on the video below.  If you don’t have one yet, it’s free to sign up!  Register at https://web.seesaw.me/. 

​Lastly, it’s important to remember the value of recognizing positive behaviors. In collaboration with the school’s Culture and Climate team, Tiana has been able to continue with a version of Montalvin’s positive referral system. Staff members proactively shout out students who are showing examples of Montalvin’s Core Values by filling out a google form which school leaders compile into highlights to share with the whole school community via their weekly newsletters and Seesaw notifications!