What is Englewood Student Voice?

Englewood Student Voice (ESV) is a student-led district-wide initiative that empowers high school students from historically marginalized communities (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, emerging multilingual people, people who have or currently experience poverty, religiously minoritized groups, etc.) and allies with diverse perspectives to be the voices for positive change in their communities. It provides a forum for students to collaborate with the Director of Opportunity, Access & Inclusion, the Superintendent, and other district/community leaders. The goal is to create a strong foundation to spark greater equity and inclusion in our schools through compassionate leadership. 

The core elements include:

• A space for two-way communication between students and district leaders to create positive change in our school district

• Leadership & capacity building for equity and inclusion, civic engagement, community improvement and 21st century global skills 

• Creating spaces for students to build solidarity and connect with other students in the district 

Students attend multiple conferences throughout the year. Some of these meetings specifically bring together Englewood high school students, and others include students, educators, and community leaders from across the state of Colorado. 

In addition to these retreats/conferences, students and educators at each school may organize Student Voice activities and events. Please contact the Director of Opportunity, Access, and Inclusion for information and resources if you are interested in organizing something on a more local level. 

Englewood Middle School and Englewood Leadership Academy share a student leadership class focused on student voice and advocacy in order to promote positive and inclusive school climate and culture.

In addition, ask the staff about current extracurricular offerings that highlight this work, since that might change each year based on student, staff, and community interests. 

Each of our elementary schools offers a variety of developmentally appropriate ways to engage student voice and choice, since we know it helps improve the school climate, individual student motivation, and innovation. The specifics of how this happens varies for each school, so reach out to your child's teacher, the school principal, or to the Director of Opportunity, Access, and Inclusion to learn more.