3L: Leading in the Learning Landscape

a weekly list of topics trending among/about Black Women

Why Black Women?

Black Women's collective ability to read the Learning Landscape is unmatched. We are pattern-readers, trendsetters and taste-makers whose interests and behaviors get co-opted and "washed" by the mainstream. So, let's start at the source.

3L acknowledges the innovating Black Women do everyday to work around systemic challenges. 3L acknowledges the ways Black Women are constantly trying to tell others what we see on the horizon. 3L treats the truths Black Women tell as community resources, even if those truths are inconvenient for the larger society. The truths Black Women tell may seem true for a small group of people, namely Black People, but they eventually become true for humanity.

Every take by a Black Woman is not necessarily THE take, but, in the public discourse, we generally have a type of peer-review system for calling each other in or at least making sure nuance is added to the conversation.

I hope this week's 3L list inspires you to write, research, teach and learn. After you read this list, I encourage you to go to Google Trends. How does this week's 3L list compare to this week's Google trends? Teach/tell someone about the differences you see between the two lists.

The topics in the list below were mined from various online sites based on their connection to Black Women and based on their alignment with this week's theme for The Learning Landscape Substack: learning in informal settings.

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3L: Leading in the Learning Landscape for the week of June 23, 2025 - based on this week's theme for The Learning Landscape Substack - learning in informal settings.

Topics

• Considering Child Labor

• Intergenerational Learning

• Ag Extension & Informal Learning

• What Voters Support

• Professional Development Resources

• Coding/Decoding Opportunities

• Development for Adults

Considering Child Labor

• What's happening: This creator talks about the underbelly of environments, including Girl Scouts, that structure and facilitate opportunities for informal learning.

• Here's more: Organizations such as Girl Scouts run off free child labor. The non-profit tax structure, in general, allows for this type of labor extraction.

• Related to this week's theme: There are lots of informal learning “opportunities” through non-profits. It is important to recognize how much labor children are being asked to do in exchange for these opportunities.

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Intergenerational Learning

• What's happening: This creator talks about her experience as a troop leader in Girl Scouts.

• Here's more: Girl Scouts engages adult troop leaders in personal and professional development activities. The Volunteer Basics learning path includes (e.g.):

  Delivering Inclusive Programs

  Mental Wellness 101

  New Leader Onboarding: Troop Safety

  Troop Safety Update

  Girl Scouts Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention (this training will require recertification every 3 years)

• Related to this week's theme: Adult leaders are engaging members (girls) based what they themselves are learning through coursework and implementation.

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Ag Extension & Informal Learning

• What's happening: Ag extensions engage, often quietly, children in informal learning activities.

• Here's more: Programming may provide opportunities for children to engage with robotics, farming and horticulture, music production and other areas of learning.

• Related to this week's theme: These informal learning opportunities are now becoming pathways to earning certifications.

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What Black “Voters” (people polled) Support

• What's happening: See this overview of a national poll in which the Black People polled express support for afterschool programs.

• Here's more: “More than 9 in 10 Black voters want their elected leaders to provide more funding for afterschool programs. Whether it is keeping kids safe, providing academic and social supports, or helping young people thrive in and out of school, Black voters agree on the extensive set of supports afterschool programs provide. For Black voters, access to afterschool and summer programs is important to help parents work and strengthen the economy”. Take a closer look at methods, results, etc., to evaluate the findings from this poll.

• Related to this week's theme: According to the results of this one poll, Black People see afterschool programs as a means for Black Children to both survive and thrive by gaining knowledge and relationships in safe, secure environments.

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Professional Development Resources

• What's happening: This post lists some recently held and ongoing professional development opportunities for adults who engage girls in science and technology activities, outside traditional educational environments.

• Here's more: This list highlights opportunities for guidance on transformative practices such as role modeling and family engagement, mapping learning pathways and engaging with the science and technology mentorship scholarship.

• Related to this week's theme: Even for adults accomplished in science and technology, with supports and training, they are better equipped to share information, knowledge and wisdom with youth.

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Coding/Decoding Opportunities

• What's happening: This creator/instructor highlights a coding event she facilitated in a space designated for engaging Black Girls in tech.

• Here's more: In addition to showcasing the value of committed, capable adults, this post showcases the value of having an infrastructure in place to support Black Girls’ engagement with tech. Also, it speaks to how engaging the entire family in the learning process provides more robust support for Black Girls.

• Related to this week's theme: Consistent and robust informal learning is the outcome of well-planned efforts by all adults involved. This video does not speak directly to this point, but I will add: informal learning settings offer the flexibility to really learn from the youth who are engaged in these programs and bring them on as curriculum builders.

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Development for Adults

• What's happening: This creator shines a light on the groundbreaking efforts of Josephine Holloway who desegregated scouting in Nashville, Tennessee, in the 1920s and started the first Black Girl Scout troops in Nashville in the 1930s/1940s.

• Here's more: Ms Holloway played many different roles in scouting and Girl Scouts: troop leader, district advisor, field advisor and camp director.

• Related to this week's theme: In living her life, Ms Holloway demonstrated deep learning: e.g., navigating unnecessary barriers, creating new opportunities and forging new pathways. By stepping into these roles, she taught her troop members and others how to become, even when there is no blueprint.