Fearless Writers Take On Youth Gun Violence and Hate Crimes Presentation (Faculty180)

cited authors

  • Sloane, Heather M; Rowe, Amy; Goins, Duvonna; Menke, Nick; Brewington, Jalyn; Johnson, Jevaughn; Ellis, Jaylyn; Young, Blake; Johnson, Tonenijah; Snipes, Laiah

description

  • Fearless Writers Take on Youth Gun Violence This presentation will highlight an ongoing research project involving participatory action research collaboration between the University of Toledo Social Work Program and Rogers High School AVID program. University of Toledo social work students and faculty work with high school students using creative writing (modeled after Amherst Writers and Artists Method) as a social justice intervention. This presentation will feature the writing of youth researchers who are using group autoethnographic method to learn more about youth gun violence and media representations of inner city experiences with the police. The students' written work is the result of weekly meetings where we (high school and university students) have open discussions about the main research topic and explore various related media. From this exploration, writing prompts are developed as a group. The group then writes for five to seven minutes and then the group gives feedback to each other about the writing. The diversity of the group leads to rich discussion and writing. This project fits nicely with the theme of this year's conference, Words Into Action: Power, Expression, & Activism because the students' goal is to present their observations and conclusions as a way to raise awareness about youth concerns. The writing and research process empowers the youth researchers (both university and high school) to advocate for change. The writing and research process allows for trust and brave discussion. In this conference presentation students will share their writing pieces and how this writing process has created a deeper understanding of how discrimination and marginalization happen. This project would not be autoethnography or social justice without an audience. Fearless Writers Take on Hate Crimes This presentation will highlight an ongoing research project involving participatory action research collaboration between the University of Toledo Social Work Program and Rogers High School AVID program. University of Toledo social work students and faculty work with high school students using creative writing (modeled after Amherst Writers and Artists Method) as a social justice intervention. This presentation will feature the writing of youth researchers who are using group autoethnographic method to learn more about youth gun violence and media representations of inner city experiences with the police. The students' written work is the result of a half a year of weekly meetings where we (high school and university students) have open discussions about the main research topic and explore various related media. From this exploration, writing prompts are developed as a group. The group then writes for five to seven minutes and then the group gives feedback to each other about the writing. The diversity of the group leads to rich discussion and writing. This project fits nicely with the theme of this year's conference, Words Into Action: Power, Expression, & Activism because the students' goal is to present their observations and conclusions as a way to raise awareness about youth concerns. The writing and research process empowers the youth researchers (both university and high school) to advocate for change. The writing and research process allows for trust and brave discussion. In this conference presentation students will share their writing pieces and how this writing process has created a deeper understanding of how discrimination and marginalization happen. This project would not be autoethnography or social justice without an audience.

authors

publication date

  • 2020

presented at event