A Safe Place to Go: Latina/o Youth and Parents and Politically Minded Community Organizations

• In Event: 032 - Section on Children and Youth Paper Session. Civic Participation among Minority and Immigrant Youth

Abstract

As alternatives to mainstream institutions and politics, community-based organizations (CBOs) are often portrayed as important sites for immigrant civic and political engagement, especially for undocumented immigrants. Yet, there is little research on how undocumented youth and parents both negotiate the benefits of CBOs. We use in-depth interviews with 38 Latina/o youth and parents with undocumented statuses or mixed-status families that participate in politically active CBOs in San Francisco, California – a city with inclusive policies and services for immigrants. We compare perceptions of these CBOs across generations and find that both Latina/o youth and parents do not necessarily view the CBOs as sites for collective action but rather as “safe” spaces or learning sites for education- and economic-related assistance, reflecting the difficult tasks that CBOs take on to be both multi-service and advocacy organizations.

Authors

• Melanie Jones Gast, University of Louisville

• Dina G. Okamoto, Indiana University