EDvance students, faculty build community at retreat

In August, EDvance hosted its fourth annual overnight retreat for students participating in the CAD-PATH early childhood workforce development program. Eighty-eight early childhood educators and faculty who teach in the pathway attended the event with the purpose of building community and setting expectations related to the children and families the students serve.

EDvance partnered with Flourish Agenda, a national nonprofit based in Oakland, to introduce the students to Flourish’s Radical Healing Framework. This framework is designed to unlock the power of healing and engage educators in transforming their schools and communities to support the social and emotional well-being of youth of color. Shawn Ginwright, founder and CEO of Flourish Agenda, serves as an associate professor in Africana Studies at SF State. Flourish Agenda will continue working with EDvance throughout the year to help early childhood educators infuse its core principals into their work with children and families.

Jocelyn Martinez, a CAD-PATH junior, said, “I felt a sense of community and support from everyone in the program, and I enjoyed every second of it. I look forward to learning more about my classmates, and I can’t wait to go back to the retreat next year.