An introductory course on anti-child ageism
This course can be made available and personalised for groups and organisations. Please get in touch if you are interested!
DATES: 29th October and 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th of November
TIMES: 6pm BST / 10am PT / 1pm ET
WHERE: Zoom
ABOUT
“Childhood is much like being raised in a cage with little space to move around and express ourselves beyond what the bars – materialised as parents, family, school, social conditions – allow. Often, like with most of the cages we grow up in, we don’t notice it is even there.“
— Has Oppression Found a Home in You? (zine) by Aiyana Goodfellow.
“I hate kids.” It’s a common ageist phrase that most of us have heard or even said, but we never really deep it. We hate kids, but are, supposedly, against child abuse or mistreatment. However, we rarely agknowledge how this violence is systemic in the form of ‘anti-child ageism’ (coined by me, Aiyana Goodfellow) which is part of the patriarchal system.
Why You Hate Kids 101 (fka Has Oppression Found a Home in You?) is a course for all ages offering the opportunity to learn about anti-child ageism from the often unheard perspective of a teenager. Challenged by discussions, writings, and activities you will have a unique opportunity to gain an overview of anti-child ageism as part of the patriarchal system as well as learn how it exists within the context of other oppressions.
This course is for you if…
- You have some understanding of marginalisation and privilege dynamics;
- You are new to theses concepts or are beginning to notice the existence of anti-child ageism;
- You’re interested in building community with other anti-ageists and can embrace being challenged.
The course is curated and facilitated by me, Aiyana Goodfellow, a Black, Queer, Neurodivergent writer, liberator and DELINQUENT. I am a young person myself, which is what makes this course even more unique. Not only are we tackling the woefully under-discussed topic of ageism, particularly the oppression of children, but this space is led by a young person with current lived experience.
This course explores and expands on theories from my newest published book INNOCENCE & CORRUPTION: An abolitionist understanding of youth oppression.
SCHEDULE & ACCESSIBILITY
The course will run over five weeks, at 10am PDT / 1pm EDT / 6pm BST and held on Zoom.
Each session will be 90mins long. Automated captions will be available and breaks are scheduled into the workshops. Sessions will be partially recorded for reviewing purposes, but this should not be considered another way to access the course: your live attendance shapes the space.
Our schedule:
- Ageism 101 – 29th October 2023 – We begin to explore the basics of ageism, including what it is and how it functions within the context of other oppressions.
- Schools are Prisons – 5th November 2023 – Investigating the politics of time, labour, authority, and disempowerment we consider the education system as a form of incarceration.
- Fam, Blood, & Boundaries – 12th November 2023 – What is a family? What are boundaries? How does the capitalist-defined family function as a unit of power and oppression?
- DELINQUENCY – 19th November 2023 – We challenge our privileges, map out what adult solidarity with youth could look like and the empowerment of young people.
- Community Reflection – 26th November 2023 – The finale of our course. We reflect on previous sessions and have an open community-led discussion.
“I really liked the content and how it was presented – every session was unique as it didn’t follow the template of the previous one. It was great to always have a chance to be interactive and communicate with the facilitator and other participants – I felt heard and understood. Practical exercises were very useful and advices given valuable and applicable.”
Course Alumni
Investment
This course is a reciprocal investment of energy, time, and funds. I appreciate anyone and everyone who chooses to invest in anti-ageism. For accessibility, I have provided a sliding scale…
| Tier Zero Free scholarship for young people — under 18s only! | £0 |
| Tier One For adults who could not access the course without this tier. | £75 |
| Tier Two For adults who have the ability to invest at the true cost. | £150 |
| Tier Three For adults who have the ability to invest at a higher tier which helps but balances the scales for other course participants. | £300 |
| Tier Four For adults who have the ability to invest at a higher tier which helps balance the scales for other course participants and also sponsors an adult scholarship. | £450 |
Are you an adult who wants to attend but can’t afford Tier One? Each time I develop a course, I calculate how much time/energy I put into it and set a financial total that covers this. Once my goal is reached, I will be able to offer Pay-What-You-Can places to adults. I ask that all adult attendees contribute something: a PWYC place is not the same as a sponsored scholarship (for this, see below). If you are interested in a PWYC place, please contact me to be added to the waiting list. You can keep up with the goal here. Sharing this course and signing up is the best way to make this course accessible to more people!
Are you an adult who wants to attend but would like a full scholarship? I can offer full scholarships if another participant invests at Tier Four. If you are interested in a PWYC place, please contact me to be added to the waiting list.
Are you looking to book for your community group, organisation, or family? If you are looking to book for multiple people (e.g., as a family or organisation) please contact me before the registration deadline.
REGISTER BY 28th October 2023.
DO YOU STAND FOR YOUTH LIBERATION?
Join us now!
