Beyond Youth Organizing to the Youth Justice Movement: A Conceptual Synthesis

• In Event: Roundtable Session 17
  In Roundtable Session: Youth Organizing: Intersections of Justice, Art, and Caring

Abstract

This paper provides a conceptual synthesis of research on the emerging youth justice movement in the United States. Most research has focused on the phenomenon of youth organizing. We find, however, that youth organizing groups typically work in a larger field composed of a diverse set of actors, including advocacy organizations, critical education and leadership development programs, and alliances and informal networks. Using the lenses drawn from the community/youth organizing and social movement literature, we identify four outcomes of youth participation in the youth justice movement: individual, community, institutional (policy), and cultural. We then develop a typology that considers the types of outcomes each type of group within the movement creates and consider the value of combined efforts.

Authors

• Mark R. Warren, University of Massachusetts - Boston

• Luke Kupscznk, University of Massachusetts - Boston