Youth Empowerment and High School Gay-Straight Alliances

Abstract

In the field of positive youth development programs, "empowerment" is used interchangeably with youth activism, leadership, civic participation and self-efficacy. However, few studies have captured what empowerment means to young people in diverse contexts. This article explores how youth define and experience empowerment in youth-led organizations characterized by social justice goals: high school Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs). Through focus group interviews, fifteen youth leaders of GSAs from different regions of California explain what they think empowerment means and how they became empowered through their involvement with the GSA. Youth describe three inter-related dimensions of empowerment: personal empowerment, relational empowerment, and strategic empowerment through having and using knowledge. When these three dimensions are experienced in combination, GSA leaders have the potential for individual and collective empowerment as agents of social change at school. By understanding these youth's perspectives on the meanings of empowerment, this article clarifies the conceptual arena for future studies of socially marginalized youth and of positive youth development.

Population-level evaluation of school-based interventions to prevent problem substance use among gay, lesbian and bisexual adolescents in Canada

“…GSAs are student-led clubs with the purpose of providing support and advocating for sexual minority students and their straight allies, aimed at promoting positive school climates (Russell et al, 2009). Although research on the relationship between GSAs and student health is relatively limited, recent studies have provided promising evidence.…”

Special Issue Introduction: New Research on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth: Studying Lives in Context

“…Birkett et al (2009) and Chesir-Teran and Hughes (2009) examined school-based, ecological factors that affect the school experience for LGBT students. In addition to these articles that aim to understand the context of victimization, another describes the ways that student participation and activism through gaystraight alliance school clubs can be a proactive response to a context that may be characterized by hostility, but through which empowerment can be achieved (Russell et al 2009). …”

From Contagious to Resilient and Beyond: A Periodization of Four Decades of Educational Research on LGBTQ Issues

“…While most of these survey studies employed quantitative research methods (Birkett, Espelage, & Koenig, 2009;Espelage, Aragon, Birkett, & Koenig, 2008;Gruber & Fineran, 2008;Murdock & Bolch, 2005;Poteat, Espelage, & Koenig, 2009;Sandfort, Bos, Collier, & Metselaar, 2010;Walls, Kane, & Wisneski, 2010;Wilkinson & Pearson, 2009), a few employed qualitative methods (Adelman & Woods, 2006). Prior to 2010, qualitative studies that did not rely on surveys as the primary data source were less prevalent in the field overall, and most focused on the individual experiences or beliefs of educators (Dessel, 2010;McCabe & Rubinson, 2008;Payne & Smith, 2010;Tooms, 2007;Zach, 2010), while a smaller segment of studies focused on the experiences of LGBTQ youth (Davidson, 2009;Lee, 2002;Russell, Muraco, Subramaniam, & Laub, 2009;Savin-Williams, 2005). …”

“…However, since 2005, an alternative frame for making sense of the experiences of LGBTQ youth in schools has arisen. Several studies have moved beyond risk factors and experiences of interpersonal discrimination to examine resiliency among LGBTQ youth (Davidson, 2009;Russell, 2005;Russell et al, 2009). This trend in the research came about in response to the literature's exclusive focus on the prevalence of experiences of victimization and negative outcomes.…”