(Re)Engaging Black Male Youth Within Community-Based Educational Spaces

• In Event: Roundtable Session 73
  In Roundtable Session: The Challenge of Schooling With Males at Every Level

Abstract

Drawing from qualitative interviews with 24 young Black male participants from a national community-based organization, this study highlights the importance of alternative sites of education and youth development. Findings from this study indicate that flexibility, applied educational and work experience, and positive healthy adult-youth relationships granted solace for young Black males who traversed through difficult circumstances within traditional school contexts. Findings speak to the need to create relevant educational models that address the complex circumstances of young Black men. This study shows how successful community-based programs reframe young Black males as a valued segment of society that deserve support, care, and educational sites that are able to respond to their distinct academic and social needs.

Authors

• Bianca J. Baldridge, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Marc Lamont Hill, Teachers College, Columbia University

• James Earl Davis, Temple University