“Being 100”: Social Justice Youth Development Among Black Youth

Abstract

Scholars and community leaders have voiced concerns about
the recent decrease in youth civic engagement. This is a concern
because research indicates that participating in civil society during
adolescence promotes effective decision making, strategic
thinking, and other components of democracy. Extant scholarship
on youth engagement primarily considers mainstream forms
of civic engagement. There is a dearth of information on urban
African American youth’s understanding of and participation in
civic and community work. This study will address the gap by using
social justice youth development theory to center the voices
of African American youth in describing their own experiences
with activism.