About Curriculum Jams

A Curriculum Jam is a five-step process where youth, community members, and educators bring their perspectives and lived experiences together to identify, review, and recommend educational resources that are high quality and culturally relevant.

The Five Steps of Curriculum Jams

STEP 1- Select and connect around a topic - We choose a topic that matters to youth, community, and Extension. Then, we connect with others who care about that topic. We talk about how to find resources that support learning about it.

Watch this video to learn more about each step of our process.

Core Principles

While individual Curriculum Jams vary based on the needs of the group, all Curriculum Jams share the following core principles:

Prioritized Curriculum Jam topics respond to an active, expressed asset or need with social, cultural, and/or political relevance in people’s lives.
Curriculum Jams intentionally and inclusively involve diverse, often marginalized voices in the process. These perspectives are essential in identifying criteria by which to review resources and in applying those criteria to the resources themselves.
The process involves clear, consistent, and timely communication with all involved. Effective communication helps participants:
- decide where and how to get involved
- stay informed about and understand their role within the broader project and process
- share feedback about the process.
Curriculum Jams result in the dissemination of resource recommendations to relevant audiences as a means of honoring participants’ time, energy, and perspectives informed by lived experience.

Jam Topics in Progress

Youth in Governance

This Curriculum Jam helps identify and recommend civic engagement curriculum that can be used within and beyond Extension’s Youth in Governance programming. The learning resources we are looking for identify essential skills for young people who want to understand how to participate effectively in systems of governance, and for adult mentors who are supporting them in this process.

Who’s involved?

Extension’s Positive Youth Development Institute
Extension’s Youth in Governance/Community Youth Development educators

Timeline

April – May 2024 – Search and Filter process to identify potential resources
May – June 2024 – Curriculum Jam meetings to review selected resources
By August 2024 – Sharing resource recommendations

Climate

This three-part Curriculum Jam helps identify and recommend curriculum about climate. Within this topic, the Jam will review and recommend resources on Addressing Eco-Anxiety, Climate Equity/Justice, and Climate Action. The learning resources we are looking for identify essential skills for young people who want to build their understanding of climate through a place-based lens that emphasizes youth agency.