Building Power, Learning Democracy

Abstract

In this article, the authors explore the potential of youth organizing to promote civic development, new forms of civic engagement that make public institutions more accountable and responsive to the needs of their constituencies, and an expanded commitment to acting in the interest of the public good. Their analysis draws from both the literature on youth organizing and civic engagement. Some scholars of youth organizing speak to the civic dimensions of organizing, and some scholars of civic engagement attend to organizing as one stream of civic practice. The authors aim to synthesize these literatures in order to offer a more comprehensive picture of the relationship between youth organizing and civic engagement. This paper unfolds in five parts. The first section provides a brief review of the literature on the civic engagement and civic development of low-income youth of color. The next section describes the field of youth organizing, highlighting the origins of this work and how the field has grown in the past two decades. The third section explores how, and in what ways, participation in youth organizing supports the development of new civic skills and commitments. The penultimate section examines how youth organizing shapes public policy and who participates in public life. The final section considers directions for further research on youth organizing for the public good. (Contains 1 figure and 4 notes.)