ERIC Number: EJ1458415
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 15
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2325-4009
EISSN: EISSN-2325-4017
Newfound Belonging: Reimagining Youth Development through Culturally Relevant Physical Activity and Literacies
Brittany Pinkerton; Christine L. Craddock
Journal of Youth Development, v19 n3 Article 4 p50-63 2024
Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) has been a widely utilized framework for educational practice and research (Ladson-Billings, 2014). It is built on the ethics of care, first established in consideration of education among Black youth (Ladson-Billings, 1995). However, applications of CRP to youth physical activity (PA) programs are largely unexplored and limited to preservice physical education (Shiver et al., 2020). The authors posit the academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness outlined in CRP are not only plausible to integrate into PA programs but necessary for holistic youth development. Further, though youth activity programs often focus separately on physical health, literacy development, or mathematical support, innovative models with intentional combinations of these practices merit further consideration and exploration (Fredrick et al., 2020; Pinkerton & Craddock, 2024). In this article, the authors outline a free PA program designed for youth participants at an urban university literacy center housed in a larger community center. The goals were to provide PA sessions that incorporated multiple literacy practices through game-based exercises and cooperative activities. Following an asset-based approach aligned with positive youth development (PYD), the authors endeavored to engage students through positive interactions with PA in the program in efforts to build youth's confidence, self-efficacy, ownership, and cultural competence with multiple literacies. This focus is grounded in key aspects of PYD and CRP. For many of these participants, their experiences with school-based literacies were not always affirming. The authors hoped to provide a safe, welcoming space that promoted inclusive, equitable access for diverse youth to engage with PA and literacy practices in critical, authentic ways relevant to their identities.
Descriptors: School Community Programs, Preadolescents, Physical Activities, Culturally Relevant Education, Holistic Approach, Urban Extension, Urban Schools, Low Income Students, Literacy, Community Centers, Adolescent Development, Interdisciplinary Approach, Game Based Learning, Exercise, Cooperative Learning, Multiple Literacies, Self Efficacy, Student Empowerment, Diversity Equity and Inclusion
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A