The Project CHANGE team experienced Part ONE of the Study Circles today, seeing the work that members Merary and Deepna are doing every day with school communities in Montgomery County, and being led by Yesenia, a Project CHANGE alumnus from 2013.
Study Circles teaches people how to design the structures of safety and trust that allow for difficult conversations around the issues of race. Sadly, race is one of the most reliable predictors of achievement in our schools and it does not have to be this way. 
The achievement gap is one of the big buzz words in educational circles, but what does it look like on the ground? It is a complex mixture of teacher-student engagement and understanding, or lack thereof.
The Team today were invited to share their own family and school stories and to begin to build the shared story of concern and interest that will lay the foundation for confronting the issue of racism head on at the next meeting.
The other part of the day was to have some fun, playing kids games, and relaxing after another hectic week of service. A few early sniffles are being heard and some of the team look a little tired. Perhaps a long sleep and a revival weekend is in order. They surely deserve it.