Introduction

Over the past two decades, social and emotional learning (SEL) has assumed prominence as a strategy to increase college readiness, especially among historically marginalized students. At the same time, SEL approaches have faced mounting critiques for their failure to grapple with the structural inequalities, cultural incongruence, and hostile racial climates that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) youth often face in both K-12 and postsecondary education. Recently, Jagers, Rivas-Drake, and Williams (2019) [3] have argued for including critical social analysis and skills for collective action into SEL, articulating a framework for “transformative” SEL that can prepare young people for active, justice-oriented citizenship.

This brief shares findings from a longitudinal study of six established youth organizing (YO) groups (among approximately 300 nationwide). Youth organizing engages mostly BIPOC and low-income young people in collective, youth-led work to identify and address inequities that constrain their opportunities. We find the transformative SEL framework useful for understanding how young people in organizing develop socio-emotional skills and critical consciousness as they lead campaigns for educational, racial, and environmental justice.

In this research brief, we use the lens of transformative SEL to understand the postsecondary transition experiences of BIPOC youth who participated in youth organizing groups. We share qualitative reflections from 25 college-enrolled recent YO alumni about how participating in YO helped them develop both ‘traditional’ and transformative SEL skills, and how they draw on those skills as college students, along with survey findings from YO participants (N=180). We argue that YO, and similar critical approaches, help prepare BIPOC youth to navigate and thrive in college and to press for more equitable, affirming campus climates.

Key Findings

Youth organizing strengthens academic self-efficacy and academic engagement.

Youth organizing provided rich opportunities for authentic, collaborative work that helped alumni develop crucial relational skills and academic behaviors. Alumni drew connections between their work on youth organizing campaigns and their active participation in college class discussions, ability to collaborate with peers, and strategies for balancing competing demands on their time. The sophisticated critical analysis and research skills they honed through organizing were a source of academic confidence as these first-generation BIPOC youth adjusted to the demands of college.

YO participants developed relational and networking skills that facilitated their adjustment to college life.

As part of YO groups that prioritized inclusion, community, and youth ownership, alumni learned to listen carefully, consider multiple perspectives, and develop consensus around group goals. Outreach and recruitment activities taught them to approach new people and find points of connection, while public actions and negotiations with decision-makers fostered confidence while talking to adults. Alumni used these skills to make friends, build community, and seek support and advice on campus.

YO alumni developed self-management and critical navigational skills that helped them persevere in culturally incongruent spaces.

Alumni learned patience, resilience, and strategies for self-management to persevere through organizing campaigns that stretched over several years and had many ups and downs. Their YO groups prioritized self-care, celebrating small milestones, and open conversations about mental health. Alumni drew on these strategies to cope with racial and cultural stress.

As they transitioned to college, alumni stayed connected to staff and members of their YO groups, viewing their groups as places of unconditional support and understanding. They sought similar counterspaces on campus, where their cultures and identities were affirmed as sources of knowledge and resilience—through ethnic clubs, activist groups, and ethnic and gender studies courses.

YO alumni used their organizing skills to resist injustice and transform their college communities.

Organizing provided opportunities for young people to sharpen their critical social analysis and engage in critical action to challenge inequitable policies and conditions. Alumni offered detailed critiques of ways in which their colleges ignored the lived experiences of BIPOC students or fell short of providing appropriate supports. They shared instances of calling out peers and college faculty for racist statements and of pushing for greater inclusion and equity in the campus organizations they joined. This sense of socio-political efficacy and critical motivation also influenced their academic and extracurricular engagement. Many chose teaching, law, or social work majors and joined student government or activist organizations on campus to work for gender, racial, economic and environmental justice.

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