Pseads’ newest initiative, inspired by mentors Belvie Rooks and Dedan Gills, the legacy of photographer and writer Susan Lambert, and students and educators across classrooms of all kinds.  Hope on the Rize is cross-disciplinary 8-week creative writing curriculum and short film project that supports young people to develop and apply their voices as creators of social change and activators of a more peaceful and just future.  This project explores themes of dignity, health, ecology, and social justice.  A tree is planted for every student film completed (over 1,400 trees have been planted to date!).  Currently in 80+ classrooms with over 500+ students/week participating throughout the 2023-2024 school year.

EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANTS

Pseads served as the program design team for numerous initiatives that support youth visions and voices, and that advance care and build community.  This includes year two of Redford Center Stories, an environmental justice filmmaking project.  The reach of this project was expanded more than 300 percent in year two, which also included new events bringing students into conversation with documentary filmmakers and humanitarian leaders.  The Pseads team has also designed and helped implement 6+ years of curriculum and programming for Children for Change, a community engagement project that supports younger students to learn about and impact critical community needs, and provided educational consulting for Growing a Global Heart and ReImagine Science.  In partnership with Kennan Salinero and ReImagine Science, Pseads poets shared their work at TEDx Reimagine Science and their video poems were picked up by TED online.

THE UNIVERSE LIVE ON THE MIC

The second official program under Pseads.  A co-curricular learning and leadership experience designed for and with first-year university students in collaboration with faculty across university departments.  Integrated the humanities, science, cosmology, poetry, music, and mixed-media arts to lay new groundwork for innovation, build confidence for learning, and positively impact students’ transition to college and sense of themselves in community.  Included multiple series of live events and student showcases.  Resulted in increased retention and more than 500 student-led projects and initiatives.  And it’s how and where Elizabeth and Matt met Jenae Casalnuovo, who became Pseads’ first Fellow, and then first full-time employee!

BLUE SKIES, BRIGHT STAR SCIENCE & POETRY PROGRAM

As well as teaching high school and college courses and seminars across the Bay Area, Matt and Elizabeth started an 8-week experience for students in Grades 2-8 that integrates the humanizing power of poetry and and the joy and acuity of science to explore the roots of human curiosity, creativity, storytelling, and innovation.  This program is currently in its 10th year, and serving over 2,000 students a year in five districts, having grown into its new iteration as Hope on the Rize.  Teachers have reported district-wide improvement in writing scores, and in collaboration with educators, this initiative has helped set new benchmarks for equity, achievement, asset-based learning, art-science integration, and community-building.  Students struggling with school engagement and literacy have found unexpected success in this program, which seeks to celebrate the unique voice and talents of every learner.

THE WORLDVIEW LITERACY PROJECT

Elizabeth and Matt first worked together as Research and Education Fellows and Founding Directors of The Worldview Literacy Project at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, founded by Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell.  Designed to integrate science, psychology and civic engagement, The Worldview Literacy Project was successfully piloted with 1,000+ students, as well as educators, and healthcare and business professionals from five countries.  This is also where Elizabeth and Matt first met Belvie Rooks and Dedan Gills, and through their warmth, example and guidance began to learn about intergenerational collaboration in completely new ways.  Dedan became one of Pseads’ founding board members, and Dedan and Belvie continue to inspire the Pseads team every single day with their humanity, generosity and revolutionary ways of bringing people together.