Why Education Is Important

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Radical healing links student well-being with community, identity, and collective action.

Schools can foster empowerment, joy, and agency—not just prevent harm and bias.

Identity-affirming dialogue helps students build belonging, pride, and resilience.

Student-led projects and advocacy strengthen confidence, voice, and collective efficacy.

Post by Janet Gu, Saleha Mian, Soe Young Lee, and Michael A. Medina (Boston University).

For youth of color, psychological well-being is often a community effort. Whether they live in an ethnic enclave or attend a racially diverse school, a young person’s emotional health may depend largely on their engagement with the communities around them. Yet supporting this process may require educators to deviate from traditional teaching methods that focus primarily on avoiding discrimination or reducing harm. While necessary, these approaches rarely envision schools as sites of empowerment, agency, and joy. A potentially more positive alternative for educators may already exist in the counseling practice of radical healing.

What Is Radical Healing?

The radical healing framework defines psychological well-being and community advocacy as complementary (French et al., 2020). Initially applied in counseling psychology, this practice encourages clinical practitioners to guide youth in drawing strength, support, and well-being from their social connections during times of cultural trauma. For youth of color, this trauma can take many forms:........

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