CAREGIVING TOWARD ABOLITION
What does it mean to raise children in a world we are trying to change — not just survive?
If you’ve ever tried to parent, care for, or teach children while holding onto your values of justice and liberation... you’ll know how hard, and how beautiful, it can be.
Whether you’re a parent, an educator, a caregiver, or someone who loves kids deeply, you’ve probably felt the tension: wanting to protect them, to prepare them, to raise them with care... all while navigating systems that weren’t built for our thriving.
We’re living through violent times.
Colonialism is not in the past. Fascism is on the rise. Inequality is deepening. Across the globe, systems continue to criminalise, surveil, and punish—especially communities already made vulnerable by racism, borders, poverty, and ableism. These systems show up in our schools, our homes, our parenting, our relationships
Parenting is political. Design is powerful. Abolition is necessary.
You might be wondering: what does abolition have to do with parenting?
For me, abolition is about raising children in a world where safety doesn’t come from punishment, control, or fear—but from care, connection, and justice.
It means turning away from carceral systems like prisons and policing, and toward community, healing, and dignity—for all of us.
Abolition has deep roots in Black freedom struggles, led by people who resisted slavery, incarceration, and state violence. Thinkers and organisers like Angela Davis, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, and Mariame Kaba remind us that abolition isn’t just about tearing systems down—it’s about making new worlds possible.
That’s why I created this space—a virtual book club rooted in care, curiosity, and collective practice. As a parent of two, I often find myself asking: how do we raise children with integrity in a world shaped by harm? How do we interrupt cycles of control and domination, even in our own homes, classrooms, and communities?
This group is an invitation to slow down, breathe, and think deeply together about how we live our values—day to day, choice by choice.
Over three weeks, we’ll explore We Grow the World Together: Parenting Toward Abolition, alongside other texts— a powerful collection of reflections, practices, and visions for raising children beyond the logics of punishment, control, and fear.
This book club is for caregivers, parents, educators, community organisers, aunties, uncles, youth workers — anyone interested in how parenting, abolition and design come together to shape liberatory futures.
Why this group? Because abolition isn’t just theory, it’s about action. It’s about dismantling harmful systems and building something new in their place. Whether you're raising children, shaping curriculum, organising in your community, or reimagining care in your workplace, this is a space to reflect on how we practise our politics in everyday life.
We’re here to inspire and be inspired. To connect across difference. To sharpen our tools and stretch our imagination, together.
✴️ What We’re Reading
We'll be pulling together a number of resources, including the book We Grow the World Together brings together voices from Black, Indigenous, and people of colour communities exploring parenting through an abolitionist lens. Together we’ll read and reflect on selected excerpts — focusing on care, autonomy, accountability, and how we model liberation with and for children.
We do not have soft copies of the book so you'll have to get your own copy- check out out your local library or independent bookseller.
Don't worry too much if you can't find a copy, we'll also explore other texts, videos, and resources. This is a collaborative space, so your suggestions are welcome.
✴️ What to Expect
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A space to connect, reflect and imagine — this is not a lecture series. It’s a space for conversation, listening and co-creation.
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Weekly prompts and reflections to ground us in each theme.
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No pressure to be an “expert” — come as you are. Whether you’re new to abolition or deep in the work, your perspective matters.
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Live sessions held weekly
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Inclusive, anti-oppressive facilitation rooted in care, consent, and accessibility. (In the sign up section, please feel free to share any accommodations that would help you participate-whilst we wont be able to provide financial resources for this, we are keen to make this book club accessible and happy to discuss ideas).
📅 Dates & Details
When: Tuesday 10th, 17th and 27th of June, 7:45 PM BST/ 14:45 EST/
Where: Online — join from anywhere
Cost: Free! This is a labour of love. However, we do suggest that if you have the means, take this opportunity to support people raising children under oppressive conditions. This might mean supporting or donating to an organisation in your local area.
Here are some organisations that we'll be supporting:
Mermaids UK is a UK based charity that helps children and young people who are transgender, non-binary or gender-diverse.https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/
Medical Aid for Palestine works for the health and dignity of Palestinians living under occupation and as refugees: https://www.map.org.uk/
Yung Prodigy is a youth-led and youth-run organisation founded on lived experience. They focus on mobilising young people impacted by parental and kinship incarceration, addressing an often-invisible issue and policy gap in Australian service provision. https://yungprodigy.org/
Choose Love are wroking with local organisations in Sudan https://donate.chooselove.org/campaigns/keep-eyes-on-sudan/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=news&utm_campaign=G25_KEOS2Y&utm_content=blog_post
Interested in joining the reading group? Fill in the form below.
Spots are limited to keep the space intimate and participatory.
Access details and readings will be shared after registration.
We will review all submissions and get back to you by the 23rd of May
Your Book Club Hosts
This reading group will be hosted by Jess and Michelle
Jess: I'm a social impact strategist, parent of two, and abolitionist-in-progress who's spent the last decade working at the intersection of justice, community care, and liberatory design.
Right now, I serve as Director of Learning and Evaluation at Global Fund for Children, and I also run Design for Social Impact (DFSI), a collective led by systems-impacted folks. Across all my work, I'm trying to help shift how we show up for change—centering trust, dignity, and community knowledge instead of control, extraction, or charity.
Before all this, I was a teacher and then worked in humanitarian education, often alongside young people displaced by war and disaster. Those experiences, and the young people who trusted me, radically reshaped how I think about parenting, education, and freedom.
This book club is part of that journey for me—I'm here to learn, unlearn, and build alongside you.
Design for Social Impact has worked with dozens of organisations, including:
