Activist, Ally, Organizer, Advocate: Do the Labels Civically Engaged Youth Use for Themselves Matter?

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 9:45 am - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Creative and Critical Approaches in Youth Participatory Action Research

Abstract

Youth who are engaged in social justice are variously referred to by scholars as civically engaged, critically conscious, changemakers, activists, or organizers. While each of these terms carries precise meaning for scholars, it is not always clear how well such terminology aligns with young people’s understandings of themselves. Several studies have noted that youth have reservations about calling themselves activists, typically because they do not feel deserving of such a hallowed word (Conner, 2020; Kapit & Rios-Jarra, 2024). This study seeks to understand what labels youth who are active in social justice causes apply to themselves and whether these preferences reflect differences in their behavior, attitudes, and beliefs. We also explore associations with demographic identity markers, such as race and sexual orientation.

Authors

• Jerusha O. Conner, Villanova University

• Emily Greytak, ACLU