Writing Democracy Anew: LGBTQ+ Youth Letters as Acts of Civic Imagination

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 9:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Civic Education and Literacy

Abstract

This study examines a novel form of civic participation among LGBTQ+ youth in Israel: letter writing. Drawing on a national school climate survey (n=1,497), we analyze over 300 letters written to either the Minister of Education or the Chair of the Knesset Education Committee. Using a mixed-methods design and the framework of situated civic agency, we explore patterns of participation, civic concerns, and rhetorical strategies. Findings show that marginalized youth engage with clarity and sophistication, tailoring their appeals to institutional targets. Beyond documenting youth civic reasoning, the study advances letter writing as both a methodological and pedagogical tool—one that centers identity, emotion, and imagination, and challenges narrow definitions of civic engagement in educational research.

Authors

• Avner Rogel

• Avner Rogel, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Oren Pizmony-Levy, Teachers College, Columbia University