A key part of our “school-based community change model” at The Children’s Academy is Community Change Groups. These groups are made up of parents of students at the school as well as other adult community members. Just as The Children’s Academy’s general education prepares students to become leaders for change in their communities, Community Change Groups helps parents and other adults reevaluate their habits, values, and behavior in order to build kinder, fairer, and more loving relationships with themselves and the people they live with.

A vital method these groups use is called, “Education is Conversation” (ESK is the Creole acronym). Through ESK, participants confront, first in conversation and then through role-playing, critical issues that afflict their communities: child abuse, sexual harassment, restavek (child servitude), and others. In doing so they not only become more informed about the reality of the issues themselves, but they practice actually intervening. It’s an exciting and powerful method and has been hugely popular at the school since the beginning.