SUMUD IN PRAXIS:
TEACHING FOR SOLIDARITY
FROM TURTLE ISLAND TO PALESTINE
JANUARY 15–17, 2027 | TUCSON, ARIZONA
This 3-day professional development institute is an opportunity for educators to deepen their understanding of teaching about Palestine with a focus on how Indigenous populations on Turtle Island and Palestine have practiced sumud (steadfastness) and how educators today must practice sumud for the right to teach about Palestine in their classrooms.
The institute will include intensive field work on the US/Mexico border, making connections between settler colonial projects, land dispossession and cultural resilience from Turtle Island to Palestine.
This gathering is intended for K-20 educators and leaders interested in teaching Palestine in an Ethnic Studies framework with the goal of developing curriculum using the content from our three days together.
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE
Please make sure to read through the following information before you apply!
If you have additional questions, please contact us.
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APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2026.
Space is limited to 30 participants so that we can travel comfortably to the locations we will be visiting.
This institute is intended for K-20 classroom educators. If you decide to apply, please be sure you are able to join us in Tucson on January 15-17!
To ensure the safety of all of us, we will be reviewing application submissions before accepting participants to attend the institute. You can expect to hear back within one week or by Monday, November 30th at the latest about your application acceptance.
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Once your application is accepted, you will be asked to pay a non-refundable $25 fee to reserve your spot.
SLIDING SCALE REGISTRATION FEE: $500 - $800
We aim to make this institute as accessible to all as possible. Due to the current political landscape, funding is limited, but we are working hard to raise funds to cover costs for all participants. Right now, the base cost of attending the institute is $500 per person, not including travel and lodging. However, as funds become available we will subsidize participant fees and costs for those who need it.
Solidarity Donations: If you are able, you can choose to pay a higher registration fee and help us fund this institute!
This fee includes: breakfast and lunch all three days, dinner on Saturday January 16, a t-shirt and all institute materials and resources.
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The institute location will be shared with registered participants in advance.
We will spend a full day visiting the US/Mexico border in Nogales and surrounding areas. We will not be crossing the border into Mexico but there is a border patrol checkpoint between Tucson and Nogales (no passport required). If you have any concerns about the checkpoint, feel free to reach out.
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A detailed agenda will be shared with registered participants closer to the institute. Light breakfast and lunch is provided, as well as dinner on Saturday evening.
Participants will also be expected to attend a pre-institute zoom on Saturday, January 9th at 9am PT.
DAY 1: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13
9am–3pm, Downtown Tucson
DAY 2: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14
Full day of fieldwork in and around the US/Mexico borderlands, including dinner. Times TBD
DAY 3: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15
9am–3pm, Downtown Tucson
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TRAVEL & TRANSPORTATION: Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel to Tucson and transportation to and from the institute each day.
SUN TRAN: All public transit in Tucson is fare-free! The institute is located within two blocks of the Sun Link streetcar and the downtown Ronstadt Transit Center. Check out the Sun Tran website for more information.
FOOD: Light breakfast and lunch is provided, as well as dinner on Saturday evening.
LODGING: Click here to see a list of hotels and lodging suggestions in Tucson.
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Applications open: Monday, October 26
Applications due: Monday, November 23
Application notifications: Monday, November 30
$25 deposit due: Monday, December 7
Remaining registration fee due: Monday, January 4
Pre-institute zoom: Saturday, January 9th at 9am PT
This institute is co-sponsored through an ongoing partnership between XITO and the Teach Palestine Project of the Middle East Children's Alliance. Together, we have been offering intensive workshops and trainings for educators for over 6 years, building connections across struggles for Indigenous liberation against settler colonialism from Turtle Island and the US-Mexico borderlands to occupied Palestine.
*We are currently seeking funding to cover the cost of this institute and to ensure that participants are not turned away due to cost. Please consider donating!