Promoting Transformative Learning for Chicana/o and Latina/o High School Youth

ABSTRACT

In this article, we explore features of a summer program intended to support the personal and academic development of non-dominant high school youth. We focus on one particularly robust practice in the program known as encuentros – daily gatherings intended to build community and collective sense-making. We draw on field notes and videos to examine the key roles inclusive norms of participation and meaningful relationships based on trust and care play in inviting youth to embark on a journey of self reflection and identity exploration. Moreover, we explore „holding space„ as a metaphor to understand youths' participation in encuentros.

KEYWORDS:

• critical pedagogy
• adolescent
• out of school
• Latino/a children and families
• transformative education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

¹ We use the terms Chicanx and Latinx as inclusive gender-neutral labels that move beyond the masculinity inherent in the Spanish language.

² UMAS y MEXA represents the integration of two student organizations – the United Mexican American Students and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán.