Positioning of Homeless Adolescents Towards Literacy and Life: An ethnographic narrative inquiry

Young people who are homeless or runaway encounter numerous barriers in obtaining an education (Milner,2013). Concurrently, their schooling experiences have been restricted by neoliberal policy initiatives that have muted investments in building an engaged US citizenry, moving curriculum from content to skill-based learning (Au, 2013). Since civic opportunities for young adults in marginalized communities are not often available and unevenly distributed across social class and race/ethnicity (Ginwright, 2010), participants and I co-created a youth activism club with participants to gain a fuller, more nuanced understanding of the intersection of literacies, civic engagement, and homeless urban youth aged 16-23. This study draws upon positioning theory and narrative inquiry and works to uncover the ways young people of color who frequented the Scope Resource Center (SRC) for Homeless and Runaway Youth positioned themselves towards critical literacies and as activists in their communities. Primary findings indicate examinations of power structures morphed as participants expanded critical thinking outwardly over time, moving from micro, through mezzo, and into macro level questioning. Participants engaged in dialogue around texts resulting in intertextual multiliterate positioning and associations were made between critical YA texts and embodied civic action, enabling participants to position themselves as cultural critics and resisters of the status quo. Data suggests established adolescent civic engagement indicators (Flanagan & Levine, 2010) need to be adapted and expanded to include indicators linked to new literacies and online spaces that helped participants position themselves as active, engaged citizens.

Grantor dc:publisher

State University of New York at Buffalo

Year dc:date.issued

2018

Author dc:creator

• Haq, Katherine; 0000-0003-4543-741X

Contributors dc:contributor

• McVee, Mary
• Learning and Instruction

• education
• literature
• social research

Statement dc:rights

• Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.
• Copyright retained by author.

Language dc:language

eng

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10477/78049

OAI record oai:identifier

https://ubir.buffalo.edu/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=qdc&identifier=oai%3Aubir.buffalo.edu%3A10477%2F78049