Combining insider and outsider strategies to remedy injustice

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:20 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Learning About Remedy and Repair From Research on Youth Organizing in California (Table 8)

Abstract

Youth organizers in California approach their work of creating change in their communities with a combination of both building relationships by working inside of institutional structures, such as schools, as well as creating outside pressures to enact policy changes. While at times these strategies have been positioned as diametrically opposed, our study highlights that they can work in tandem and even complement one another. As organizers have worked in the changing context of an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter movement and shifting modalities for community participation they have been employing both insider and outsider strategies to enact change.

Framework
Existing literature recognizes that there is potential benefits of both insider and outsider strategies but tend to treat them as independent where one must choose one or the other. The use of both working inside of institutions, for example parent organizations, school board participation and developing programs in collaboration with school while building outside of institutions to create external pressure can be complementary (Donoso, 2017; Pettinicchio, 2012; Banzak, 2010; Abers & Keck, 2009). While previous research has shown that outsider strategies can place external pressure on institutions to advance equitable change (Mediratta et. al., 2009; Oakes & Rogers, 2006), youth organizing groups in our study talked about deliberately combining insider-outsider strategies. They also expanded beyond the traditional range of insider strategies to include youth-focused programming implemented in collaboration with schools.

Methods
Our qualitative study drew on two central pieces of data. The first were semi-structured interviews with organizers across the state of California. These initial interviews helped shape the central questions and themes for the second round of data collection. The second round included 12 semi-structures focus groups that were intentionally more geographically spread including the San Diego area, Inland Empire, Central Valley, Bay Area, Los Angeles Area and statewide groups in California.

Findings
While organizers in our study were clear that they were able to leverage both insider and outsider strategies, they noted that those strategies also resulted in tensions with institutional partners. In persisting with using more creative and relational approaches they found pathways for navigating those tensions and leaning on the relationships they were building with partners. They also suggested that by using both an insider and outsider approach they were embodying the transformative and humanizing approach to social justices that was at the center of their goals for social change.

Authors

• Kate Baca, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Vandna Sinha, University of Colorado - Boulder