“DU CARRÉ ROUGE AUX CASSEROLES”: A CONTEXT FOR YOUTH-ADULT PARTNERSHIP IN THE QUÉBEC STUDENT MOVEMENT

Abstract

This article utilizes duoethnography, a collaborative research methodology, to examine the divergent experiences of students and professors in the 2012 Québec student movement. Ignited by the government’s announcement of its intention to increase tuition fees, this youth-led movement caused an unprecedented stirring of ideas, emotions, and actions. Through personal narratives, we identify four aspects of a youth-led movement for social change, and reflect on their meaning in our lives in realizing youth-adult partnerships in the context of emancipatory approaches. They are: (a) the benefit of experiential versus classroom education; (b) the nurturing effect on youth empowerment of providing structures and spaces for youth-led processes; (c) the need to align youth emancipatory theory with practice, especially in systems which regularly resist change; and (d) the unexpectedly powerful impact of youth stereotypes, especially those delivered through mainstream media, and the difficulty of overcoming them. We also identify the value of duoethnography to accentuate youth voices, strengthen adult-youth partnerships, and enrich the transformative learning of both youth and adults.