Community Organizing and Youth Advocacy: New Directions for Youth Development, Number 117 (J-B MHS Single Issue Mental Health Services)

This issue presents new thinking about the ways in which youth and parents are engaged in local reform, particular education reform, with the help of community organizations. Community groups examined in this volume advocate for and with youth in a variety of ways: through youth organizing, parent organizing, more traditional youth advocacy, and funding support. These organizations are critical in promoting youth's healthy development. They lobby to change policy and service delivery, connect diverse institutions that serve youth, push for more resources for youth, educate local officials about youth's needs, and empower parents and youth to become advocates in their own right. There is a ripple effect in these local efforts; not only do policies and political contexts change, but individual and communities themselves begin to change too. And although there are significant barriers to changing entrenched ideas about youth and their needs, the efforts discussed in these articles are having tangible results in many urban areas. This is the 117th volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report psychology series New Directions for Youth Development. New Directions for Youth Development is dedicated to bringing together everyone concerned with helping young people, including scholars, practitioners, and people from different disciplines and professions. The result is a unique resource presenting thoughtful, multi-faceted approaches to helping our youth develop into responsible, stable, well-rounded citizens.

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Published: United Kingdom, 1 May 2008

Format: Paperback, 136 pages

Age Range: 0+

Dimensions: 22.6 x 14.7 x 0.8 centimeters (0.21 kg)

Writer: Sarah N. Deschenes, Milbrey Wallin McLaughlin, Anne Newman

Table of Contents

Issue Editors' Notes (Sarah Deschenes, Milbrey McLaughlin, Anne Newman). Executive Summary. 1. Organizations advocating for youth: The local advantage (Sarah Deschenes, Milbrey McLaughlin, Anne Newman) Drawing on case studies of three San Francisco Bay Area organizations, this article considers the advantages of advocating for and with youth at the local level. 2. Youth organizing: From youth development to school reform (Mark R. Warren, Meredith Mira, Thomas Nikundiwe) Youth organizing has emerged as a powerful force for school reform, in addition to promoting positive developmental outcomes for young people. 3. Negotiating reform: Young people's leadership in the educational arena (Seema Shah, Kavitha Mediratta) This article describes educator responses to youth organizing for school reform and how young people have built power and negotiated reform to achieve both school and district level victories. 4. Thirty years of advocacy in San Francisco: Lessons learned and the next generation of leadership (NTanya Lee) The executive director of a highly respected child advocacy organization analyzes thirty years of social change strategies, discussing issues of race, power, accountability, and next-generation leadership. 5. The development of collective moral leadership among parents through education organizing (Michael P. Evans, Dennis Shirley) The authors examine the transition from narrow to broad definitions of self-interest among parents involved in a community-based organization. 6. Faith-based organizing for youth: One organization's district campaign for small schools policy (Ron Snyder) This article describes the work of Oakland Community Organizations to achieve community-led education reform, examining the role of parent self-interest, political positioning, and the leverage, alliances, and actions that have led to successful advocacy. 7. Developing the field of youth organizing and advocacy: What foundations can do (Sylvia M. Yee) Philanthropy can empower marginalized youth by funding the programs and capacity of the growing youth organizing and advocacy field. Index.

About the Author

Sarah Deschenes is a consultant who has been conducting research on education policy, community development, and out-of-school time for over a decade. She was also a postdoctoral fellow at the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University. Milbrey McLaughlin is the David Jacks Professor of Education and Public Policy at Stanford University, the founding director of the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities, and the codirector of the Center for Research on the Context of Teaching. Anne Newman is an assistant professor of education at Washington University in St. Louis, where her work focuses on educational philosophy and policy.