Owning Up Curriculum

Social Emotional Learning Curriculum

Preparing Youth to be Engaged in Learning  and  Socially Responsible Citizens

The Owning Up Curriculum teaches young people to understand their individual development in group behavior, the influence of social media, and the dynamics that lead to discrimination and bigotry.

Whether you’re teaching in a school, a team, or a youth-serving organization, Owning Up, created by Cultures of Dignity, is a flexible, dynamic social emotional learning curriculum that respects your knowledge of young people and communities you serve.

OUR MISSION

Cultures of Dignity supports educators to be self-reflective, passionate, and capable to walk alongside students as they navigate their adolescence and education.

Rosalind and her team have filled a gap in our understanding of how to make dignity understandable, usable, and a powerful tool that students can use not only in middle school, but all throughout their lives. Among many other useful skills, this resource gives students the permission to be vulnerable, to pose the difficult questions that feel too embarrassing to ask, and most importantly, to ask for help when they need it. She has made it clear that vulnerability is not a weakness—instead she shows that it takes strength to be vulnerable.

Donna Hicks PhDWeatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University

Owning Up is an invaluable curriculum. I have used it consistently for 15 years in many settings. It is particularly relevant for middle schoolers, who need guidance in the operations of social culture and how to navigate the often treacherous landscape of relationships through middle school and beyond.

Julie Baron, LCSW-CFormer Middle School Counselor, Adolescent Therapist, and co-author of What Works With Teens

Individuals responsible for the implementation of Owning Up are the cornerstone for its success in their community. They are teaching students to treat themselves and others with dignity. They are teaching them to educate themselves about power and privilege, oppression, personal accountability, and bearing witness when others oppress and discriminate against those who have less power.

Most important, they are empowering students to work as agents of positive change and influence in their own lives and in the lives of others.

Middle Web

The lessons are incredibly relevant. I have students participate and raise hand to share that usually do not. This morning I started session 4 about teasing and laughing, and the class had such a powerful discussion. They thought about really important concepts to carry with them next year into middle school.

Melissa LundeSchool Based Mental Health Associate