Transformational Mentorship and Radical Storytelling: Reproductive Justice for and by Pregnant and Parenting Youth

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:45 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Mentorship, Antiracism, and Fugitive Literacies in Youth Justice Work

Abstract

This paper brings together findings from multiple qualitative and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) studies examining the role of school-based supports for Pregnant & Parenting Youth (PPY) that are rooted in a Reproductive Justice framework. Research took place at an alternative high school in Chicago at an embedded program for PPY. Key approaches and practices that emerged as important in developing leadership and advocacy skills included the transmission of legitimate, authentic knowledge, the development of nonjudgemental, intergenerational relationships, and the creation of spaces for sharing stories and experiences. A primary purpose of this research is to inform schools and programs serving PPY, as well as help shape policies so that they better support PPY.

Author

• Laura Ruth Johnson, Northern Illinois University