In this episode I speak with Matt Voz and Shawn Lavoie, two leaders of the Youth Initiative High School, one of the key local partners of Thoreau College here in Viroqua, Wisconsin. This is a special conversation, as I participated in the founding of YIHS in 1996 when I was a teenager and subsequently returned to teach there for over 15 years alongside Matt and Shawn as we learned how to be teachers and build community together. Today, 30 years after it began, YIHS remains an unique and exemplary school and has served as a key influence on the development of Thoreau College. Founded as a Waldorf-inspired initiative, YIHS has remained connected with this global educational movement while taking the curriculum in distinct and innovative directions. YIHS students actively collaborate with faculty and parents as full citizens and stakeholders to  ...