Taking stock of youth organizing: An interdisciplinary perspective

Abstract

Youth organizing combines elements of community organizing, with its emphasis on ordinary people working collectively to advance shared interests, and positive youth development, with its emphasis on asset-based approaches to working with young people. It is expanding from an innovative, but marginal approach to youth and community development into a more widely recognized model for practice among nonprofit organizations and foundations. Along the way, it has garnered attention from researchers interested in civic engagement, social movements, and resiliency. A growing body of published work evidences the increasing interest of researchers, who have applied an assortment of theoretical perspectives to their observations of youth organizing processes. Through an appraisal of the current state of this still-emerging area of practice and research, including case examples, the authors identify common elements of the practice of youth organizing--relationship development, popular education, social action, and participatory research and evaluation--and conclude with a discussion of promising future directions for research and practice.

Community coalitions as spaces for collective voice, action, and the sharing of resources

“…Community coalitions also are unique venues for developing strategic partnerships to transfer or bridge resources–despite minimal financial resources—to enhance community well‐being (Christens & Speer, ; Kirshner, ). In addition, these community spaces enable greater involvement of young people as change agents and the future of community change (Christens & Kirshner, ; Lardier et al., ; Zeldin, Christens, & Powers, ). As Butterfoss and Kegler () suggest, coalition‐based community work allows for the mobilization of a variety of community stakeholders.…”

Understanding youth civic engagement: debates, discourses, and lessons from practice

“…A model for practice advocated by Christens & Kirshner (2011) characterising youth organising as a 'combination of community organising, with its emphasis on ordinary people working collectively to advance shared interests and positive youth development, with its emphasis on asset-based approaches to working with young people' identifies the following elements as useful in training for young leaders:…”

Student Voice for School‐Climate Improvement: A Case Study of an Urban Middle School

“…Important school climate‐related issues like discipline policy and instructional practices—issues on which students likely have opinions—may be contentious. Indeed, some youth organizers have experienced retaliation from school administrators in the form of discipline and being barred from having meetings on school premises (Christens & Kirshner, ; Shah & Mediratta, ). As a consequence, most youth organizing efforts are led by community‐based organizations (Shah & Mediratta, ).…”

“…The direct effects of youth organizing on settings are evident when youth are successful in addressing their target issue. In terms of public school reform, youth organizing efforts have secured additional district resources for facilities improvement, college preparatory classes, and improved high‐stakes testing practice (Shah & Mediratta, ) and have demanded a district‐wide response to violence (Warren, Mira, & Nikundiwe, ), the tracking of English‐language learners (Speer, ), and racial achievement gaps (Christens & Kirshner, ). These studies show that young people, working in concert and using community organizing tactics, can directly effect change in their school environments.…”