Belonging Is the Intervention: What Education Reform Must Learn from Marginalized Youth
Dear nonprofit leaders,
For many young people, school is framed as a place of opportunity, growth, and possibility. But for youth who identify as marginalized, especially those navigating LGBTQIA+ identities alongside race, class, disability, or gender, traditional education systems often tell a very different story. One where belonging is conditional, equity is narrowly defined, and success is measured by standards that were never designed with them in mind.
In this “Sincerely, Queers” guest blog, we’re joined by Blake Washington, whose work in education reform and advocacy offers a clear-eyed look at where our systems continue to fall short, and why surface-level equity initiatives aren’t enough. Drawing from lived experience and years of work alongside marginalized youth, Blake challenges us to rethink what inclusion actually means, who gets centered in decision-making, and why amplifying youth voices is not optional if we’re serious about change.
This conversation is an invitation: to educators, nonprofit leaders, funders, and advocates to move beyond policy language and toward practices rooted in belonging, dignity, and trust. Because creating opportunity isn’t just about access. It’s about building systems where young people are seen, supported, and allowed to thrive exactly as they are.
You bring a deep lens rooted in education reform and advocacy. From your perspective, where do traditional education systems most consistently fail youth who identify as marginalized or part of minority communities?
This is a great question. The traditional education system is not designed for anyone in this country that identifies as an “other”. Standardized tests measure memorization and the ability to regurgitate information taught in a specific fashion for a perceived majority. Tests never take into account the whole student nor the factors that contribute to how a student performs on any given day; belonging is completely ignored while studies definitively show that students with a sense of belonging are more likely to be engaged and perform better academically. Youth are being overlooked in the traditional spaces, not because they aren’t capable, but because they aren’t responsive to a system that was never designed for their achievement. We preach individuality but we serve a culture that provides monolithic measures to gauge success which turns into funding. Where there is a lack of funding, there is a lack of opportunity for exposure and this directly affects youth in minority communities that are already under-resourced in and outside of the classroom. With measures like California’s community schools, we see a transformation in education that involves families, local businesses, and integrated support services that help serve the “whole youth” but even that is just scratching the surface.
Many of the young people you’ve worked with identify as LGBTQIA+, even when the work wasn’t explicitly labeled that way. How do education systems often overlook or misunderstand Queer youth when addressing “equity” more broadly?
Systems are designed to be responsive to a pattern, to make generalizations about a group of people to solve a problem. The issue is that in education, being LGBTQIA is seen as a problem and not just a way of existing. So when you are looking to solve the problem of equity you are automatically excluding anyone who doesn’t look like the factors of the equation. Oftentimes equity is limited systemically to race or gender because those are the surface criteria that are commonly understood but our youth require us to dig deeper than that. We have made progress towards normalizing the notion of being LGBTQIA+ socially but that hasn’t manifested into our education system. Resources and education around sexual health are seen as taboo and have largely escaped classrooms being replaced with abstinence language in the 80’s. Youth are turning to external programs for education, acceptance, community, and wellness that their learning spaces should provide.
Advocacy in education often focuses on policy, but lived experience tells a different story. What gaps do you see between what systems say they support and what marginalized students actually experience day to day?
Policies are created to enforce “societal norms”. I put that in quotations because the framework for measuring a norm is highly subjective yet we base rules and regulations on them. The success of youth in marginalized communities is not the perceived norm, so policies aren’t inherently created to ensure that outcome. Day-to-day students are dealing with external factors that are contributing to how they show up to educational spaces. It’s hard to focus in class when you haven’t eaten; it’s not easy to feel confident in dirty clothes. Our youth are dealing with so many things that an educational policy doesn’t cover because it isn’t “normal” to those who are responsible for creating these measures.
Creating opportunity isn’t just about access, it’s about belonging. What does meaningful inclusion look like for marginalized and LGBTQIA+ youth within educational spaces, beyond surface-level initiatives?
Meaningful inclusion looks different for so many youth. Some want spaces to “just exist” without the fear of judgement, some want to have a more active role in decision making processes that affect their education, and many want the freedom to choose. It is important that we listen to the youth in our lives and support where they are comfortable sharing. Educators have the responsibility to go beyond lesson plans and seek an understanding of the youth in these spaces that are having challenging experiences on campuses. LGBTQIA+ youth on campuses are being threatened every day; we must do more to ensure their safety, create spaces for them to be heard, remain steadfast in the commitments that have been made thus far, and take action against those who fail to uphold the values of established initiatives nationwide.
For nonprofit leaders, educators, and advocates who want to engage in education reform more intentionally, what is one shift in approach you believe would have the greatest impact on marginalized youth, especially those navigating multiple identities?
I think the true shift is in amplifying the voice of youth. Our youth want decision-making power, they want to be heard, they want to express their discontent with the way things have been. Don’t be afraid of the pushback or challenge! Many of the educational leaders that I have encountered are afraid of what the discourse will do to their careers. There is power in numbers and organizing on your campus or in your organization is essential to moving the needle of impactful change.
Sincerely,
Queers
About the Guest Writer
Blake Washington is a seasoned fundraising professional with nearly 15 years of experience supporting mission-driven organizations through relationship-building, capacity assessment, and diversified funding strategies. His work with organizations including EcoRise, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, Equal Opportunity Schools, and Californians for Justice has centered on empowering youth and advancing youth-led programs rooted in equity and inclusion.
An advocate for opportunity and systemic change Blake has dedicated much of his career to creating platforms that amplify marginalized voices and support the next generation of leaders—particularly within education reform and youth-serving spaces. His approach is grounded in the belief that meaningful change happens when systems are designed to serve the whole person, not just the status quo.
About Queer For Hire
Queer For Hire provides fundraising support to Queer nonprofits, LGBTQIA+ cultural competency to straight-led organizations and corporations, and individual coaching for Queer professionals.
Learn about our Fundraising Services <here> – we’ll lead or support your fundraising efforts, whether you need general support or want to focus on raising money from and for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Learn about our Fundraising Trainings <here> – we can coach your board, staff, and fundraising team on how to fundraise and how to engage LGBTQIA+ donors.
Learn about our other services <here> or our resources <here>.
