The Walk Out, Walk On Movement

The Walk Out movement is a very different approach to

figuring out world issues. People who join the Walk Out movement are
those who are sick of the social problems we face everyday that a lot
of people are ignoring. The Walk Outs are people who choose to ignore
individualism and are ready to join together. These people are
prepared to serve their community with creative and innovative ideas.
Hope High School students Walked Out on May 13th 2010.
They didnt like the way their schedule was being changed and they
stood up for their rights as students. We are wondering if the Walk Out
at Hope High School felt their walking out made a difference?
We will be focusing on the United States walk outs. There are
many people that are hosts of the Walk Out movement. These people
arent leaders but they are the people who help find the answer. They
work together to find answers to problems such as racism, sexism and
many more issues that people face every day. These leaders-as-hosts
serve as an aid to the people that want to make a change. Leaders are
giving up taking charge and instead taking a community based
approach to figure out social issues that are still occurring today. If this
movement is spread, more and more people will realize that working
together is the answer. Using a systems based thinking is how we
will find answers to serious social issues.
We are looking for the people who have made Walking Out an
accomplishment. We want to know if Walking Out has actually made a
difference. Specifically we will be talking to a few students from Hope
High School, a school in Providence that actually had a walk out
movement. We are looking to find the success stories that have
Walked Out, made a difference and changed their community. If every
day people can do it, why cant more people learn to Walk Out?
Conceptual Framework
Main Goal: We will be focusing our research on the success of the
Walk Out Movement. Our main question is how successful is the Walk
Out Movement?
We will be conducting this research through a series of interviews,
case studies, and sub- questions
Main Research Guide: Walk Out Walk On
http://www.walkoutwalkon.net/book/
Sub Questions:
o How many people, nationwide and worldwide, have
actually walked out?
o What is the difference between walking out and dropping
out?
How long do people actually last walking out?
Is walking out just a short-term movement/project?

Case Studies:
o Hope High School in Providence, RI; we plan to interview
students who were in attendance at Hope High School during
the protests (there are several at PC)
o United States case study (as explained in the Walk Out
book)
o Deborah Frieze-co-author of Walk Out, Walk On
Literary Review
Walk Outs are continuous learners. They are those who are
dedicated to changing the world and finding new ways to do so. They
choose to leave behind complications that are only getting in the way
of progress and strive to find alternative solutions to problems. Walk
Outs want social, environmental, educational and economic change.
They are global citizens, They walk on to the idea, people, and
practices that enable them to explore and discover new gifts, new
possibilities. (Frieze and Wheatley, 2011:4). They create new
alternatives and use the resources around them in order to create a
healthy community. Deborah Frieze and Margaret Wheatley did not
themselves create the Walk Out movement but facilitated and named
it so others may become aware of its vastly expanding importance.
They served as observers and storytellers. Walking Out is only just a
part of the process; the most important aspect is Walking On to
innovative and creative solutions.
2.1 San Pablo Elta, Mexico
In San Pablo Elta Mexico there is a giant ship that houses some of
the most innovative energy saving technologies in the world. Inside
that ship is solar ovens and bicycle powered machines and dry
compost toilets and systems to catch rainwater for use. These
technologies were not masterminded by scientists in a lab, but by
people who were looking for a way to become sustainable. It is the
Autonomous Centre for the Intercultural Creation of Appropriate
Technologies or CACITA. The community of San Pablo Elta came
together and generated not only energy but also a source of economy
for themselves. CACITA is a place of welcome, a community center of
sorts where instead of relying on others, this community has used their
resources and figured out a way to live sustainably. This community
uses trans-local learning. They work at a local level to solve
problems (Frieze and Wheatley, 2011: 20-50).
2.2 Sanots, Brazil
Brazil, is a place of Upcycling. Upcycling is using garbage to
create a community space. This group of Brazilians turned a wasteland
into a commune for children. We are the people who created waste
on this planet so we are the ones who need to clean it up (Frieze and
Wheatley, 2011: 8). This jardim das crianas was made completely
out of what most people consider garbage. These people came
together as a community, people of all ages came together,

unorganized but willing, to discover that trash can be used to ones

advantage. There was no plan for this garden, there were just people.
Now the community uses this area created by the community. This
once wasteland is now a space for children to learn and invent and
create, and building the garden was step one in that process.
2.3 Ubuntu, South Africa
Ubuntu, South Africa is a place of absolute humanism. The most
powerful statement in the passage about Ubuntu is I am not human
without your being present and my allowing you to be present. I am
human because you are human. (Frieze and Wheatley, 2011:78). The
village is not just a community, but also a family. If a child is born, the
community raises that child. If a neighbor is starving, another will
ensure that there is food on that table every night. People in Ubuntu
not only believe that it is present in their commune, but in all humans.
These people have created community. It derives from their every
pore. South Africa is a place full of HIV, poverty, crime and illiteracy.
Yet a group of people have come together and created the
GreenHouse Project. Located in Joubert Park, the GreenHouse Project,
founded by a woman named Dorah Lebelo, is a community organized
to show people how to live holistically in an urban environment (Frieze
and Wheatley, 2011: 85). Not only is the GreenHouse Project a
sustainable area, but it also provides jobs, educates children and
produces food. This place is a safe haven for those who are looking to
learn. Ubuntu is a wonderful community, there just needed to be a
secure place for their people to grow and learn from one another. As
the park became more established, day care became founded. Not
only are there classes for children, but there are also classes offered
for adults including math and reading classes. The GreenHouse Project
focuses locally; local food, local education and local people. The
GreenHouse Project is similar to what the students at Hope High School
in Providence, Rhode Island, United States were trying to attain. They
found an organized learning community was the best way to
understand the material and learn from not only their teachers but
their peers as well. They Walked Out and Walked On to the way they
wanted to be educated (OCoin, 2010:1). Both the students from Hope
High School and the Ubuntu tribe are people who have the capacity to
not only work with and for themselves, but for the community as a
whole.
2.4 Kufunda, Zimbabwe
One word to describe Kufunda would be inflation. Their currency
is no longer used to trade but is now scattered all over the village;
some using it as manure and others using it as paper. Now, the U.S
dollar is used to trade but even then $1.00 does not go far. The
inflation percentage is sextillion dollars. At this point, money doesnt
mean anything. When money doesnt mean anything, people stop
working. Schools are no longer in session because the teachers are

not being paid. Even though the future of Zimbabwe is not promising,
there are some who are making strides in a more sustainable and
fruitful Zimbabwe. Marianne Knuth is half Danish and half
Zimbabwean. She was distraught at the state of her home country and
decided to make a change. In March 2004, Marianne created her
experiment. She had traveled around Zimbabwe to tell others what she
was doing. She and fifteen others came together and built a village
from the ground up. They built their shelter, grew their food and
discovered a way to properly dispose of waste. Marianne believes,
My key learning from Kufunda is that as we rebuild the fabric of
our communities, we will find ways of moving forward. This is what I
am learning alongside the students. We need to come back together
again. I believe this to be as true for the West as it is here in
Zimbabwe. We need to learn to work together again, and play, and
learn and simply be. To join in community again. (Frieze and
Wheatley, 2011: 112).
If a small community can rise up and build a safe, community
environment, why cant the same methods be applied to more and
more villages like Kufunda? In addition to an efficient village, classes
are also available to children. Kufunda is a place dedicated to a
sustainable, friendly safe learning environment.
2.5 Mewar Rajasthan, India
Cycle Yatra. In 2005 fourteen friends decided to expand their
learning in a whole new way; a weeklong biking expenditure in Mewar
Rajasthan. They decided to go penniless. They would take on this
journey by using their strong sense of relationships and people. They
would barter in order to get food and they would not eat unless they
worked for it. They would create their own shelter. They undertook a
journey that many would not be brave enough to face. They
experienced things that many will never be granted to experience.
Some may not call this learning whereas this was the learning
experience of a lifetime for these fourteen people. They created their
own fun. Each village they visited they sang and laughed and dance
for the villagers. They made friends and contacts that they still have
connections with (Frieze and Wheatley, 2011: 136). This is what
Howard Gardner (2011; 145) would consider an alternative education.
This is an experience, one that a student cannot attain inside of a
classroom.
2.6 Axladista-Avatakia
The Berkana Exchange is a group that travels to various places
around the world that experience how to live sustainably on their own
and off the land. They dove into a secluded part of Greece, AxladitsaAvatakia and created a sustainable community. Each member of the
group had a job every day, some of those jobs included gathering food,
figuring out how to properly dispose of waste and gathering enough
clean water for everyone. During meal times, all members of the

Exchange discussed important world related issues. They dont always

agree but these discussions were eye opening. One of the major
discrepancies during the ten-day trip was how to get rid of waste and
what to use as toilet paper. It became a challenge; everyone had to
find a different solution to his or her problem. At the end of the week
each person had found what worked for him or her (Frieze and
Wheatley, 2011: 170). This trip, though trying and emotional brought
innovative ways to live. After the trip, the walkouts took their
experience and applied it to their own lives, trying to cut down in any
way they could. The Berkana society asks all its members to offer
their own gifts to the project and to think interdependently. The
members of the group engage in activities of learning and exploration
and together find new and innovative ways to live. There is joy in the
act of gathering together with friends to create, invent and
experiment; there is compliance in the act of receiving knowledge that
will increase our productivity and potential. (Frieze, Wheatley, 2001:
176) The aim of the Greece trip was to discover ideas within each
other. The best way to learn is to learn from experience and to learn
from others.
2.7 Columbus, Ohio, United States
Though many are under the impression that the United States is
not the prime location for a Walk Out movement, they are still
happening every day. Within the past two years there have been three
well-known walkouts among high schools. Hope High School in
Providence, Rhode Island had over two hundred and fifty students
stage a peaceful walkout in 2010. They were angry about a schedule
change that affects their learning ability in the classroom. In the end,
the daily schedule was not changed to the students desired choice
and the walk out was not continued but the effort was in the protest
(OCoin, 2010).
Recently, there has been a change of curriculum in Arizona. The
public schools in Arizona will no longer be teaching Latin and South
American history classes. Not only that, but now all schools are
required to report students who are not able to produce legal papers
proving that they are United States citizens. Infuriated, students of
eight districts in Phoenix, Arizona walked out of their classes and
toward the state capital on March 4th. The students protested against
the obvious discrimination (Foley, 2012)
Columbus, Ohio has witnessed the creation and development of
Art of Hosting. Art of Hosting volunteers are portrayed as a selforganized global fellowship. They are people who believe that human
beings are on Earth to help other human beings. Columbus is also the
host to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, which moves thirty-three million
pounds of food per year onto the tables of Central Ohios hungry
citizens (Frieze, Wheatley, 2011: 192). Not only do they feed
thousands of people per year, but the Mid-Ohio Foodbank also

participates in regional activities, giving back to communities and local

schools. They often run leadership and volunteer programs at schools
and get children involved in local food choices. Between these two
organizations, Ohio is becoming more involved in community building
associations. The activities of the Art of Hosting can be considered
walking out. They are using their resources to help communities.
Walking out in the States will never be the same as walking out
in Zimbabwe where there is no hope, like Deborah said, Weve got
huge problems, but were all doing well enough that we dont have to
take them on but when a communities already impoverished they
have less to lose. It can be scary for us, lets say you did a walk out
and you decided to leave, you risk getting your degree. In Brazil and
India, theyre not people who are already being successful inside
institutions. Though most Americans are successful inside of
institutions, there is always room for improvement and always room to
help those who are unable to help themselves.
Walking Out and Walking On is a movement undertaken by those who
have courage and willingness. They are people who are looking to
solve problems in a new way. They learn and grow in small
communities, local living is the focus. When in doubt, like in Greece,
they turn to one another, Whatever the problem, community is the
answer. There is no power greater than a community discovering what
it cares about. (Frieze, 2011: 247). Their goal is to aid, assist, solve
problems and create solutions.
Project Goals
To discover what Walking Out and Walking On truly means.
To ask those who have walked out and on if it has been a successful
expenditure for them.
Research Questions/Hypothesis
Our hypothesis is that if one is dedicated to his or her cause and
is willing to leave all things behind in order to find new and innovative
solutions to everyday and worldly problems then there will be great
change within local and global communities.
Questions for Linda from Hope High School
What was it like at Hope before the walk out?
What was the reason for the walk out?
How many people took part?
What changes occurred after the walk out?
Do you feel a walk - out is a productive way of
making a statement/change?
Questions for Deborah Frieze
After reading Walk Out Walk On it seems to me that
most of the Walk Out movements are concerned with the
environment, do you agree with this?
I loved the pirate ship and the trans-local learning

action. We focus on community education in class and the

trans local learning you discussed stood out. Do you live the
walk out lifestyle?
Would you say the communities that you visited are
continuously walking out? Or walking on?
In Greece there was a sustainable living off the land.
Who were your group members? Do you think those people
continued to walk on?
When it comes to education, do you think walking
out really makes a difference?
We are having a walkout at PC within the next
couple of weeks, staging a protest against various things
including tuition costs, what are your thoughts on this kind of
walkout since it is very difficult for us to walk on?
When there are certain people that are so stuck in
their ways, do you think we can get past those people?
As far as the international community goes, how
receptive were they? Did they welcome it?
When it comes to the U.S, were focusing do you
think that walking out would be successful here? They just
banned Latin American history classes in Arizona and the
superintendent, in other words is an idiot. He thought that
these classes would cause an uprising. Do you think a walk
out; walk on movement to get these types of classes back
would be appropriate?
Is there anything you would want people to know
about walk out that they might misconstrue?
What was your favorite destination and what made
the most of an impact on you as a walk out?
Summary of Findings
Between the interview with Deborah Frieze and the information
we found in the book, we realized that its not so much walking out
that takes courage, but its walking on to a better and new future.
During the interview with Deborah Frieze, she discussed each
Walk Out destination featured in the book. During her talk about the
Pirate Ship in Mexico, she said that although it will take years for these
men to create enough of a profit off of their sustainable tools, they are
saving themselves hundreds each year by using clean energy. These
solar powered ovens are used to make baked goods and chocolate to
sell for profit.
Deborah explained, The idea in this work that you could have
fun and enjoy big hard change work as opposed to super hard suffer
and burn out like a lot of social activists do, that was really important
for me. Walking Out is a frame of mind. Its not just the fact that
youre giving something up or leaving something behind, its the notion

of making a consciences decision to change your life and the way you
live and learn.
Deborah Frieze on discussing the Greece trip, People that were
there were already walkouts but conversations that happened in
Greece were helpful to those to change their ideas for living at home.
We traded around ideas to continue our own personal walkout
movement. Some people, especially those of the Berkana Exchange,
are extremely dedicated to their cause and during the Greece trip,
congregated and discussed further ways to walk on to new ideas.
Deborah explained to me that you dont have to walk out on
everything, you could start small. She gave me the example of
choosing local food over going to Stop and Shop. Its the little things
that make a walk out a walk on.
Community Partner Research
Hope High School Alum: Linda
Hope High School had 250 kids walk out in 2010 because they didnt
like the way their school was reforming their schedule. One student
who attended Hope High goes to Providence and we will ask her the
following questions.
1. What was it like at Hope before the walk out?
Hope was horrible. Im talking about like the worst school that was
known. So bad, as in students would just walk out of class, wreck the
place, and the teachers did not care at all. Eventually, the Providence
school system had to sign Hope over to the federal government I
believe or to some system, but when that happened, they changed
everything. All the teachers were fired and new teachers were hired. All
those teachers had to sign a contract. Hope was divided into 3
communities (leadership, arts, information tech) the schedule went
from a 6 period schedule to a block schedule that allowed advisory
once a week. Test scores shot up and Hope was improving. That
contract ended my sophomore year and the school was given back to
the Providence school dept. right away they changed things back to
how the school was before the contract. They took away the leadership
community. During my junior year, they declared that we were going
back to a 6 period schedule. Before the walk out, when we found out
about the schedule change, we were so angry. We didnt understand
why they would want to change something that was improving and we
had proof for the improvement. We were all so use to the block
schedule and most of us enjoyed the advisory period where individual
attention was given to us. I never saw so many kids so angry because
of school. It shows how much most of us are concerned about our
education despite our horrible reputation.

2. What was the reason for the walk out?

We wanted to show that we should have a say in our education. We
knew the block schedule was working so why would we change that? It
didnt make sense.
3. How many people took part?
A grand majority of the school. I cant give you exact numbers but I do
know that only a few people stayed in. I would say 98% of the school
walked out.
4. What changes occurred after the walk out?
A lawyer donated her time to us; she helped us in defending our
reasons for the walk out to the Providence school dept. We were
punished with detention. BUT! I am glad to hear now that starting next
year; Hope is getting their block schedule back.
5. Do you feel a walk - out is a productive way of making a
statement/change?
A walk out was a great way to make a statement. We tried to be nice at
first. A group of students represented us and tried various times to
make meetings where we were only ignored and snared at. Sometimes
even stood up. A walk out grabbed the attention of the media and
Providence to show that students walked out for their education. We
did it peacefully and with good intentions.
6. Anything else you'd like to add?
At first, at the beginning of this ordeal, Hope students were looked at
as troublemakers trying to give others a hard time but at the end of
the day, the Providence school system ended up looking bad for
ignoring us. We were told to act like adults and speak up for what we
believed in but when we tried, no one wanted to listen. Now look, next
year Hope is getting their schedule back. All our hard work paid off.
Incase you didnt know, there are videos on Youtube of us.
Walk Out, Walk On by Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze
Deborah Frieze is a co-author of the book Walk Out, Walk On. She is
current president of the Berkana institute, which has allowed her to
discover and make the walk out movement known to the world.
Interview with Deborah Frieze
1. After reading Walk Out Walk On it seems to me that most of
the Walk Out movements are concerned with the environment,
do you agree with this?
Most of the places I visited work was connected to the
environment it was a systems work. The Walk Out movement is less
about environmental movement but more about community resilience,

communities are dependent on the environment and we cant

disconnect from the environment. But we also cant forget about
people and social justice and the economy. These people are
concerned about whole system and its interdependence between
people and the environment.
2. I loved the pirate ship and the trans-local learning action.
We focus on community education in class and the trans local
learning you discussed stood out. Do you live the walk out
lifestyle?
No way. Its a huge paradox. There are some people who do; a
woman I worked with has completely dedicated her life to Walking Out
and Walking On. The thing is, you never finish with walking out. The
problem is that we live in America. Our public transportation systems
work and weve got in house plumbing. I try to participate but here I
am talking to you in my downtown Boston apartment. The fullest
expression of the experiment is not me. How do I every day make
visible to myself the choices that Im making? I make an effort to buy
locally. Its very difficult to walk out in this country. Everything is
functioning, but in Zimbabwe nothing is working so its easier to walk
out in countries like that. To walk out is an ongoing practice. Its more
about the mindset for me.
3. Would you say the communities that you visited are
continuously walking out? Or walking on?
Theyre walking on in their case. Walk on is Im part of the
dominant system. If youre in Brazil youre not getting anything, youre
already walking out, now you just need to walk on. You need to invent
a different future for yourself. Its mostly impoverished communities
that benefit from the walking on. What I witnessed is the very idea of
discovering that they have what they need is the break through.
4. In Greece there was a sustainable living off the land. Who
were your group members? Do you think those people
continued to walk on?
Not all of us were Americans; we were from 14 or 12 different
countries. People that were there were already walkouts but
conversations that happened in Greece were helpful to those to
change their ideas for living at home. We traded around ideas to
continue our own personal walkout movement.
5. When it comes to education, do you think walking out really
makes a difference?
Educations a tricky one. I am not against education; Ive
gotten an enormous amount of it in this country. A lot of education is
schooling and not learning. When young people to get together and
say this is not learning, thats amazing. Once they get their one thing,
what happens, is that the end of it or do they keep challenging the
system? They need to keep progressing and pushing. How do they
keep building on that?

6. We are having a walkout at PC within the next couple of

weeks, staging a protest against various things including
tuition costs, what are your thoughts on this kind of walkout
since it is very difficult for us to walk on?
Theres two ways of dealing with things. Theres the we dont
like whats happening and were going to protest it or theres the
were leaving because this system isnt working for us anymore.
The walk out walk on is more like we dont like whats happening and
were going to no longer participate and were going to change it how
we want. Thats difficult when youre in an institution. The Occupy
movement was the walk on form. There was no point in even trying to
protest because the because the system was already so corrupt, but
then the people came together of figuring out different ideas to better
the system. Its not fighting against something but moving towards
something.
7. When there are certain people that are so stuck in their
ways, do you think we can get past those people?
It gets pretty radical; its actually being willing to walk out of
institutions. Im not saying you should all walk out of school. Its
whatever the particular issue is. One of the things about this
movement is that you cant change people. You cant change the
whole system. You cant change the institution. Its problems with the
economy. Its not like these people are choosing to be difficult but its
the system that created them that way. Walk out movement says you
wont be successful changing their minds, but its what can you do to
change your life. The high school students were saying, we are
actually all not going to show up for class and instead of playing hooky,
we are going to have our class in our way day after day the way we
want it. The people that I met were willing to put it all on the line and
created what they needed. Im willing go say I dont need your degree;
Im willing to create learning. Its pretty bold which is why its easier to
see it in countries that are already impoverished. Weve got huge
problems, but were all doing well enough that we dont have to take
them on but when a communities already impoverished they have less
to lose. It can be scary for us, lets say you did a walk out and you
decided to leave, you risk getting your degree. In Brazil and India,
theyre not people who are already being successful inside institutions.
And theres also playing the game which we do talk about which is part
of my journey, how do you stand inside the institutions but walk out of
those limiting beliefs. So whats the set of beliefs? The high school
students [Hope High school} walked on to telling the teachers well tell
you how we want to learn.
8. As far as the international community goes, how receptive
were they? Did they welcome it?
So this is a really important distinction that is, we didnt create
the walk on movement. It didnt come from the U.S, its not ours.

Often when you have a U.S based non-profit everybody thinks it came
out of the U.S and was bestowed on everyone else. It was a part of
naming and noticing; it was already named in India. What we did, we
had relationships from one place to another, oh those people in
Zimbabwe and in Mexico, oh theyre doing the same thing. Think of it
this way, the movement was emergent, it was already being practiced;
the only role that we played was to introduce it. I guess I can invite
you to think of it a little less formally; we did the naming which is ok
there are people all over the place behaving this way and sharing the
same set of values, were going to give it a name and were going to
spread that name so people know theyre a part of something bigger.
The walkouts were already everywhere. They were in the U.S!
Especially in communities of color and race, people who tend to be
marginalized by the dominant system were already at work trying to
figure out how to be in a different relationship with it. So our function
was the gift of being able to name it and being a non-profit institute
and because of my co-author being well known, people are like oh look
at what you created, were like no no no no, that is a very classic
mistake. Of course you educated people from the U.S created it, no, it
was already out there we just have the gift of being able to name it
and being able to be heard because were educated white American
people. We get heard more easily.
9. When it comes to the U.S, were focusing do you think that
walking out would be successful here? They just banned Latin
American history classes in Arizona and the superintendent, in
other words is an idiot. He thought that these classes would
cause an uprising. Do you think a walk out; walk on movement
to get these types of classes back would be appropriate?
Totally, I could see you know, its a big deal, but I could
absolutely see students saying ok, we have elders in our community
and we have immigrants in our community and were going to take an
hour after school, were going to go or were going to skip something,
again you dont need to fight. If you stay in school and say were going
to spend an hour every Wednesday with elders from South America
that will tell us stories so we can learn their history and were going to
let the media know. That would be beautiful. This is where the translocal learning comes in; spread the word from community to
community so that other young people in Arizona would be doing that,
it would be a brilliant way do deal with it. I think its a much more
effective way to create change which is through our ingenuity and our
creativity than to try and fight.
10. Is there anything you would want people to know about
walk out that they might misconstrued?
I think, weve touched on it a little bit, but I think its the notion
that theres not like, this is the society thats wrong so weve got to
walk out of that and heres the society that we want to walk on to, its

that its an ongoing perpetual reflective and adaptive journey, and that
every time we experiment, we find out a little bit more about the ways
weve been trained in our culture to think and what we can let got of.
Ive been in this for ten years now and I go oh wow I didnt even notice
I looked at the world that way and heres another thing I can either
walk out of or reaffirm. So I can have a relationship to food or to the
economy and I could say, Im not ready to walk out of that, Im still
pretty attached to that but I consciously choose it and the next time it
comes up Im going to go through the same diagnostic so it really
becomes a daily practice and theres no arriving at the answer. That
feels really important to me.
11. What was your favorite destination and what made the
most of an impact on you as a walk out?
Thats so hard! One of the places thats closest to my heart is
Kafunda in Zimbabwe. It really felt like a home place to me and it was
just a warming, loving community, especially in the U.S where we dont
really remember what community means, to just be dropped into a
place where they really have a sense of community and a sense of
belonging. It would be hard to say that Brazil wasnt just the most fun.
It was incredibly fun! The idea in this work that you could have fun
and enjoy big hard change work as opposed to super hard suffer and
burn out like a lot of social activists do, that was really important for
me.
12. The one that stood out to me the most was the trip to
Mexico, just because the Pirate ship sounded incredible!
If you met the characters, I was writing that part and I was like,
am I writing fiction? It was like who are these guys? They are pretty
wild. It was a wild awesome bunch; they are still a bit crazy.
Do they support themselves or a bit of the economy?
No, they are scrapping their lives together bit by bit.
But theyre doing it sustainably!
They are, I mean theyre young guys, theyre not supporting
families; theyre at a stage where they can take personal security risks
so theyre able to be inventive! You should go sometime!
Discussion of Findings/Conclusion
Walking Out and Walking On is effective and anything but a fad.
Sometimes we get a little carried away with some ideas of alternative
schooling, making things way to radical, and forgetting the reason why
the system needs to be changed in the first place. This way of sort of
unschooling is great in the way that it works and doesnt stop at just
education, but encompasses participants entire lives. As one can
clearly see, Waking Out is easy. Its Walking On that is hard, but it is
also Walking On that solves problems, promotes a sense of community,
and works towards a sustainable world; something of extreme
importance for the future. Most of the United States is so caught up

with personal gain and races to the top that staging effective
walkouts are pretty hard things to do. As one can see from the
research, it is a possible thing to do. It just takes hardworking,
dedicated people who arent afraid to leave what they have behind,
and move onto something better.
It has become apparent and quite imperative to know and
understand that you cant change people. This is actually extremely
important to this movement. People cant be forced to walkout or
change. You cant change the whole system. We have unfortunately
created a place where the system tends to shape us. Like Deborah
said, Its not like these people are choosing to be difficult but its the
system that created them that way. In order to modify old, broken
down, ineffective systems, we need to constantly push and make our
voices heard. Nothing gets accomplished if people only talk and do half
the job. After all, if enough people demand it, itll happen.
Things dont happen overnight. If theres anything to take from
unschooling or any of the other ideas represented here, its that
change takes time and will only occur if people stay dedicated to their
cause. Look at Hope High School, they were fed up with the boards
decision on how to run the school and walked out. Although the
curriculum didnt change for the year, the students demonstration
proved to be a success when they got some of their demands for the
following class. There is a stigma about learning and school where you
cant have one without the other, but we are here to tell you that that
is completely false. Learning is about passion, a want, and a drive to
better connect with and understand the mysterious world we live in
and the people who live in it.
Works Cited
Foley, Elise. "Arizona Students Stage Walkout To Protest Immigration
Bills." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 03 Apr. 2011. Web.
15 Apr. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/04/arizonastudents-stage-walkout_n_831659.html>.
"NY1.com." Hundreds Of Students Hold Walkout To Protest Brooklyn
High School Closing -. Ed. NY. NYI, 10 Mar. 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.ny1.com/content/news_beats/education/157394/hundreds
-of-students-hold-walkout-to-protest-brooklyn-high-school-closing>.
O'Coin, Tim. "Students at Prov. School Stage Walkout." WPRI TV. 13
May 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/providence-students-athope-high-schoo-stage-walkout-to-protest-schedule-changes>.
Wheatley, Margaret J., and Deborah Frieze. Walk Out, Walk On: A
Learning Journey into Communities Daring to Live the Future Now. San
Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2011. Print