Challenges and Possibilities of Doing Youth Participatory Action Research: Lessons From “Proyecto Latin@”

• In Event: Critical Issues in Curriculum and Cultural Studies SIG Business Meeting: Critical Pedagogy in the Public Sphere: Challenges and Possibilities for Transformative Engagement

Abstract

While many educators committed to critical pedagogy must find ways to do their work without institutional support, there are instances in which conditions allow for projects to be implemented with the full support of school systems. While these conditions are unusual, it is important to understand both the possibilities and limitations of such opportunities and to consider what they teach us both about critical approaches to Youth Participatory Action Research. Drawing on our personal and collective reflections about our work as facilitators of a YPAR project, the paper offers a discussion of the challenges that emerge when YPAR is supported – and scrutinized – by the school system.

Authors

• Cristina Alexandra Guerrero, University of Toronto

• Ruben Gaztambide-Fernandez, OISE/University of Toronto

• Elizabeth Guerrero, University of Toronto

• Monica Rosas, Toronto District School Board