Cultivating Youth-Led SEL Curriculum for the 21st Century Using Participatory Methods and Narrative Tools

• In Event: Voices Carry: Building and Cultivating Spaces of Resistance

Abstract

This study describes youth-led participatory action research that engaged a majority Black student population facing adverse childhood experiences within their Florida communities. In 2019, one Orange County Boys & Girls Club (B&GC) surveyed its 1400 members to assess their overall club experience. The needs assessment indicated that club members, ages 9–12 years old, reported more challenges than other age groups. The B&GC director requested university partners to collaborate with older club leaders, ages 15–19 years old, to develop a means of addressing such concerns. Project results were two-fold: (a) the development of an innovative social and emotional curriculum for younger members, and (b) the elevation of voices and experiences of youth to spark club transformation through intergenerational mentoring.

Authors

• L. Trenton S. Marsh, University of Central Florida

• Jasmine Hayes, University of Central Florida

• Itunu Ilesanmi, University of Central Florida

• Norma E. Conner, University of Central Florida

• Tasha Robinson-Banks, Boys & Girls Clubs of America

• Gary Wilcox, Boys & Girls Clubs of America