Youth Leadership and Intersectionality: Which Youth Have a Say in School Decision Making?

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Eight
  In Roundtable Session: Encountering Counterstories: Crosscurrents of Racialized Narratives in School and Social Contexts (Table 20)

Abstract

​​Research has shown that youth participation in school and district decision-making is hindered by both racism and adultism. However, less is known about other, intersecting forms of oppression and the implications for youth leadership to advance social justice. We explore this area through the lens of Intersectionality, reporting preliminary findings of a study of a school that emphases on involving students in school decisions. Our findings point to the complexity of representation in youth leadership and the ways that intersectional hierarchies can become re-entrenched. We also highlight the ways youth and school adults seek to amplify the input of students facing multiple injustices. Our research illustrates the need to consider intersectional forms of oppression when including youth in leadership.

Authors

• Melanie Bertrand, University of Arizona
  Presenting Author

• Thaina Ferrari Deolindo, University of Arizona
  Presenting Author

• Leyda Waleska Garcia, University of California - Los Angeles
  Presenting Author