A Praxis of Possibilities: Creative and Critical Research for Social Justice With Young People

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This session will contribute a more critical understanding of what it means to engage with youth in art and creative practices toward social justice aims. We offer four research studies where youth used art as a means for social change through various modalities, including: script-writing, drama, theatrical performance, film, public art with critical dialogue, literature, and visual art. These arts and creative research practices speak directly to the call for educational research that reflects and supports: “Accepting Educational Responsibility.” Together, the authors articulate the ways in which they engaged with youth through art to radically imagine alternative possibilities, ideas of what might be and who they may become, grounded in equity and justice.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Critical Educators for Social Justice

Chair

• Dana E. Wright, Mills College

Papers

• Youthspaces as Places of Possibility: Art, Activism, and Collective Healing - Kristen P. Goessling, The Pennsylvania State University - Brandywine

• Imagining a More Just World: Critical Arts Pedagogy and Critical Participatory Action Research With Youth - Dana E. Wright, Mills College

• Street Wisdom: A Critical Study on Youth Homelessness and Decolonizing Arts-Based Research - Amanda Claudia Wager, Vancouver Island University

• Where Did We Go Right (and Wrong)? Reflecting on Definitions of Success and Failure With Youth Organizers - Marit Dewhurst, City College of New York - CUNY