Processing Exercise

Revision prompt:  

This poem was originally created for eco-activists. What would it look like for you, an  education activist, to take ownership of this format?  

Revise this poem to reflect the circumstances, goals, and beliefs of yourself and your  school community.  

Part 1: What challenges is your community facing? These may be broad societal  concerns like racial inequality, or more local concerns. Keep or replace the bolded text  as you see fit.  

Leader: In the face of _________________ 

Response: We journey together 

Leader: In the face of ecological decline 

Response: We journey together 

Leader: In the face of social upheaval 

Response: We journey together 

Leader: In the face of growing uncertainty 

Response: We journey together 

All: In the face of growing darkness, we journey together toward the light. 

Part 2: What gives your community hope? Where do you find inspiration? In the  creativity of your students? Their parents’ resilience? In signs of social change in the  outside world? Replace or keep the bolded text as you see fit. 

Leader: As we search for glimpses of truth 

Response: We journey together 

Leader: As we search for signs of possibility 

Response: We journey together 

Leader: As we search for heralds of a new era 

Response: We journey together

Leader: As we search for angels of hope 

Response: We journey together 

All: As we search for glimpses of truth, we journey together toward new levels of  meaning. 

Part 3: Own your limits and your history. What are you growing out of and what do you  hope to move through and past? This is the part of the poem where you can  acknowledge hurt and commit to working with it. Replace or keep the bolded text as you see fit.  

Leader: As we build our world out of chaos 

Response: We journey together 

Leader: As we build our world out of shattered illusions of superiority Response: We journey together 

Leader: As we build our world out of our inadequate Institutions Response: We journey together 

Leader: As we build our world out of our unfair sharing of resources Response: We journey together 

Part 4: What are you moving toward, and through what means will you do it? With hope  and optimism, declare your school’s aspirational values. With dedication, name the  methods and processes you will use. You may wish to replace the word “universe” with  a more local identity, such as your school or your city. Replace or keep the bolded text  as you see fit.  

All: As we build our world out of chaos, we journey together toward a new era of  justice. 

Leader: As the universe unfolds 

Response: We journey together 

Leader: As the universe unfolds through spontaneous communion

Response: We journey together 

Leader: As the universe unfolds through new levels of meaning Response: We journey together 

Leader: As the universe unfolds through new forms of life 

Response: We journey together 

All: As the universe unfolds, we journey together in our great becoming. 

Part 5: This is a call to action, a promise to your community, and a prayer all in one- as  is the style of an authorized keeper’s leadership. Make a concrete plan to read it to the  other members of your school community. When will you read it, and to whom? Who could join you in leading? Who will the chorus be? Who could you invite to add to this?