Over the past 20 years the youth development field has struggled to engage young people in meaningful ways and many youths are disengaged and at times feel alienated from their communities. Youth as agents of change, lack active and aggressive community engagement, and at times fail to see the connection of lessons learned in schools to resolve community issues/ challenges. There are gaps between what goes on in schools when compared to the realities of youth’s lived experiences in their communities and neighborhoods. To promote sustainable positive youth development through youth-focused, active-learning, and community engagement, AAD uses holistic approaches to introduce and empower students as agents of change through student-centered and student-driven community-partnerships and service learning.
How AAD confronts the problem
Service-learning refers to learning that actively engages students in a wide range of hands-on experiences and accords students opportunities to transfer classroom-based knowledge to resolve real life community issues. What is outstanding about AAD’s service learning is that it is coined within the social justice framework, allows direct application of students’ classroom knowledge to address community challenges, and accords students life-changing learning and educational experiences in a supportive, conducive and non-threatening environment. Proponents of service learning feel that the real-world application of classroom knowledge in a community setting allows students to use the higher order thinking skills, as they use school-based curricula in more meaningful ways. In addition, service learning opportunities develop students’ sense of civic engagement and social responsibility.
Impact
Through a problem tree analysis process, high school students have been able to tackle community issues affecting them such as trauma, gun violence, black to black violence, mental health, effect of gentrification, domestic violence, homelessness, teen dating violence, police brutality, youth negativity, teen suicide, teen depression and stress, and other emerging challenges. Community engagement exposes students to problem-solving, collaborative and transformational leadership, and advocacy skills. The program continues to successfully demonstrate that students can be self-motivated and genuinely interested in curriculum content if they see relevance of the content to their daily living. Students highlight a social determinant of health, a health disparity, and a Healthy People 2020 topic area being addressed and improvements made in their respective communities. The program continues to fulfil the “Whole Child, Whole Community” initiative while also building on the school district’s goals.