Creciendo Pathways to Higher Education: Educational Empowerment, Youth Research and University-Community Partnerships

• In Event: Embracing Authentic Cariño and Community Cultural Wealth in School-University Partnerships

Abstract

Purpose
In this paper, we share findings from a research project with the Trinity Youth Scholars (TYS) program, a youth participatory action research (YPAR) project that utilizes a culturally responsive curriculum to develop critical consciousness and social justice advocacy with students who participate. Our work is aligned with this year’s AERA theme, as our partnership is committed to working alongside high school youth, undergraduates and K12 educators for the purpose of serving marginalized Latino/a/x and Chicana/o/x students as they transition from high school to college. This paper shares the ways in which critical consciousness develops in youth, and describes the partnership’s strategies for empowering participants on their pathway to higher education. We present our process for conceptualizing and implementing TYS, and share findings from our four year partnership. Our overarching research questions are: 1) How does a critical race and cultural studies curriculum develop and shape the critical consciousness of Latina/o/x youth? and 2) How are the educational trajectories of Latina/o/x youth impacted when engaged in youth-led research and critical race/cultural studies curriculum?

Perspective(s) or Theoretical Framework
Our theoretical perspective is melded from concepts foundational to critical race theory (Bell, 1995; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995; Solórzano, 1996); student empowerment and activism (Romero, Arce & Cammarota, 2009; Sleeter, 2011); and, community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005). Our methodologies and research design are shaped by youth participatory action research (YPAR) (Cammarota & Fine, 2010; Lac & Cumings Mansfield, 2018), as is our method for co-developing and sustaining our research collective with teachers and youth. We ground our work in a critical race and feminist praxis (Delgado Bernal & Alemán, 2016) that specifically creates transformative ruptures which have the potential to challenge educational inequities for the youth and in the communities we work alongside.

Methods & Data Sources
We conducted and will share data from 38 semi-structured individual interviews with youth participants, teacher fellows, and college mentors. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and conducted in English, Spanish and Spanglish. We also include artifacts from our TYS space such as photos and students’ research posters and presentations.

Results & Conclusions
Results indicate that creating spaces for youth to collectively address issues that directly impact them and their communities results in critical strategies for youth development, youth organizing, self-efficacy and community action. Youth are aspiring to college, and desire spaces where their voices are centered. Results indicate that youth participatory action research and program components such as field experiences and mentorship impact student critical consciousness. Additionally, we include impacts of a co-created curriculum that is critical and bilingual in a sociopolitical climate where diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and programs are being eradicated.

Scholarly Significance
By chronicling and attempting to understand the phenomenon of critical conscious development and educational empowerment across K-12 and higher educational contexts, our study contributes to the scholarly conversation on YPAR, CRT and community-based partnerships. We share our example of applying a critical race feminista praxis in our engagement with youth for community change, and facilitate a conversation on the complexities of doing so.

Authors

• Enrique Aleman, Trinity University

• Lisa Mendoza Knecht, Trinity University