Adam Fletcher (activist)
Encyclopedia
Adam Fletcher is a leading advocate, author, motivational speaker, and educator focused on youth voice
and student engagement
, recognized for founding The Freechild Project. His work centers on youth studies
, critical thinking and the development of democratic society, and has been acknowledged as "perhaps the best spokesman for the philosophical basis of community youth development
". Action for Healthy Kids
named him a "Healthy Schools Hero" in 2010.
Before starting a national firm called CommonAction Consulting in 2005, Fletcher worked in nonprofit organizations and with government agencies for more than 15 years. He completed his undergraduate degree in critical pedagogy
and youth studies
at The Evergreen State College
, and began his graduate studies at the University of Washington
in educational leadership and policy studies. For the last decade Fletcher has worked with educators, youth workers and government administrators around the world on democratizing educational practice and policy in schools and youth programs. He also serves as a director and advisor to several organizations including the National Youth Rights Association
and others, and is a contributing editor to the Review of Education, Pedagogy and Cultural Studies, published by Taylor and Francis
.
Youth voice
Youth voice refers to the distinct ideas, opinions, attitudes, knowledge, and actions of young people as a collective body. The term youth voice often groups together a diversity of perspectives and experiences, regardless of backgrounds, identities, and cultural differences...
and student engagement
Student engagement
Student engagement occurs when "students make a psychological investment in learning. They try hard to learn what school offers. They take pride not simply in earning the formal indicators of success , but in understanding the material and incorporating or internalizing it in their lives." It is...
, recognized for founding The Freechild Project. His work centers on youth studies
Youth studies
Youth studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of the development, history, culture, psychology, and politics of youth. The field studies not only specific cultures of young people, but also their relationships, roles and responsibilities throughout the larger societies...
, critical thinking and the development of democratic society, and has been acknowledged as "perhaps the best spokesman for the philosophical basis of community youth development
Community youth development
Community youth development, or CYD, is a philosophy emphasizing the uniquely symbiotic nature of youth development to community development by situating the two practices in a common framework...
". Action for Healthy Kids
Action for Healthy Kids
Action for Healthy Kids is a public-private partnership of more than 50 organizations dedicated to promoting school health. Founded in 2002, the organization addresses the epidemic of overweight, sedentary, and undernourished youth by focusing on changes in schools to improve nutrition and increase...
named him a "Healthy Schools Hero" in 2010.
Before starting a national firm called CommonAction Consulting in 2005, Fletcher worked in nonprofit organizations and with government agencies for more than 15 years. He completed his undergraduate degree in critical pedagogy
Critical pedagogy
Critical pedagogy is a philosophy of education described by Henry Giroux as an "educational movement, guided by passion and principle, to help students develop consciousness of freedom, recognize authoritarian tendencies, and connect knowledge to power and the ability to take constructive...
and youth studies
Youth studies
Youth studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of the development, history, culture, psychology, and politics of youth. The field studies not only specific cultures of young people, but also their relationships, roles and responsibilities throughout the larger societies...
at The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. It is located in Olympia, Washington, USA. Founded in 1967, Evergreen was formed to be an experimental and non-traditional college...
, and began his graduate studies at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in educational leadership and policy studies. For the last decade Fletcher has worked with educators, youth workers and government administrators around the world on democratizing educational practice and policy in schools and youth programs. He also serves as a director and advisor to several organizations including the National Youth Rights Association
National Youth Rights Association
The National Youth Rights Association is the largest youth-led civil rights organization in the United States promoting youth rights, with approximately ten thousand members...
and others, and is a contributing editor to the Review of Education, Pedagogy and Cultural Studies, published by Taylor and Francis
Taylor and Francis
Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in the United Kingdom which publishes books and academic journals. It is a division of Informa plc, a United Kingdom-based publisher and conference company.- Overview :...
.
Selected works
- Fletcher, A. (2009) Call to Action Toolkit. Chicago, IL: National PTA.
- Fletcher, A. "The Architecture of Ownership", Educational Leadership. 66, 3. November 2008. Retrieved 11/10/2008.
- Fletcher, A. (2008) "Students as Partners in Learning: Adam Fletcher Talks about Meaningful Student Involvement", Leadership Information. Volume 7 Number 4. School Information and Research Service.
- Fletcher, A. (2007) SoundOut Student Voice Curriculum. Olympia, WA: CommonAction.
- With Sazama, J. and Young, K. (2007) 15 Points to Successfully Involving Youth on Boards. Boston, MA: Youth On BoardYouth On BoardYouth On Board, or YOB, was founded in 1994 and is an internationally-recognized U.S. nonprofit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts. The organization promotes youth voice and youth involvement in schools and community organizations across the country. It was founded and is co-directed by...
. - Fletcher, A. (2006) Washington Youth Voice Handbook. Olympia, WA: CommonAction and Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
- Fletcher, A. (2004) "The Youth Voice Movement: A Lost Dream of Yesterday or a Bold Vision for Tomorrow?" in The Generator: Journal of Service-Learning and Youth Leadership.
- Fletcher, A. (2004) "Meaningful Student Involvement," in School Culture: An Introduction. Gates Foundation Small Schools Project.