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Relationship and community are essential in effecting positive change and transforming punitive spaces into nurturing environments. These new articles from the Spring 2023 issue of Learning for Justice magazine highlight the significance of intentionality for building relationship and community—both inside and outside of the classroom—in ways that heal, uplift and create inclusive spaces where all can flourish.

Started by the Campaign for Youth Justice, October is Youth Justice Action Month (YJAM), a time to “raise awareness and inspire action on behalf of young people impacted by our criminal justice system.” These resources explain how the school-to-prison and school-to-deportation pipelines all too often begin in the classroom. And they offer ways educators can interrupt these systems.

Parents and caregivers are at the forefront in efforts to give children the foundation to build future inclusive societies. Nationally recognized anti-racist writer and educator Britt Hawthorne recommends starting early with children to create homes “rooted in justice, compassion and love.” These LFJ resources include recommendations for growing readers and their families that affirm identities, celebrate diversity and highlight justice because, as Hawthorne explains, “When we’re genuinely in and relating to our community, we’ll sense the injustices and justices of the world.”