Social Justice Activism

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S Social
Justice Theory
to violence and the effects of negative environments
(Douglas-Hall et al. 2006; Schiavone 2009).
Schiavone (2009) interviewed adolescents living in
impoverished communities about their encounters
with violence. All 14 racial minority youths interviewed
indicated that they frequently witnessed violence in
their communities. Participants described these experiences
as emotionally distressing, leading to feelings of
helplessness and fear, which caused them to be distrustful
(Schiavone 2009). Furthermore, living under
conditions of poverty also tends to demand adult
role-taking earlier among adolescence (Dashiff et al.
2009). Dashiff et al. (2009) found that adolescents’
awareness of the financial difficulties their parents
face appeared to cause negative mood effects, a sense
of helplessness, and shame. Adolescents living in poverty
are also more at risk for depression, substance
abuse, and early sexual activity. Despite these increased
mental health risks, the authors found that
impoverished communities often lacked adequate
mental healthcare (Dashiff et al. 2009).
Simultaneously, school environments often serve to
perpetuate and institutionalize systems of injustice for
adolescents (Kozol 1991, 2005). Public school districts
in the most impoverished communities have fewer
resources and opportunities for their youth. For example,
in 2003, New York City spent $11,627 on the
education of each child, while in Nassau County on
Long Island, New York, the town of Manhasset spent
$22,311 (Kozol 2005). Too often, classrooms in poorer
communities are overcrowded, understaffed, and
lacking basic equipment and textbooks needed for
teaching (Kozol 1991). In addition, such schools are
comprised of mostly Black and Hispanic students,
often accounting for a majority of the student body.
Following his tour of 60 American public schools,
Kozol (1991) found that conditions had actually
grown worse for urban children in the 50 years since
the Supreme Court landmark ruling of Brown versus
the Board of Education, in which the policy of segregated
schools was dismantled. As described by Kozol
(2005), “What is happening right now in the poorest
communities of America – which are largely black
communities... is the worst situation black America
has faced since slavery” (p. 313).
Schools and family environments also may be
unsafe environments for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender youth. Perceived sexuality has been noted
to be a primary reason for harassment in schools
(Matthews et al. 2009). Lesbian, gay, and bisexual
youth who have experienced rejection during adolescence
were also recently found to be 8.4 times more
likely to report having attempted suicide, 5.9 times
more likely to report high levels of depression, 3.4
times more likely to use illegal drugs, and 3.4 times
more likely to report having engaged in unprotected
sexual intercourse compared with peers from families
that reported no or low levels of rejection (Ryan et al.
2009). These results mirrored other studies, which
found that harassment or rejection in the school environment
due to individual differences was harmful to
adolescent development, putting such youth at greater
risk for substance use, poorer grades, lower self-esteem,
and poorer mental health (Descamps et al. 2000; Gay,
Lesbian and Straight Education Network 2005; Hodges
and Perry 1999).
One of the primary avenues for promoting social
justice and reducing inequality for adolescents is
through the implementation of preventive interventions.
The following section will describe examples of
preventive interventions with youth, and guidelines
and principles for their implementation.
Preventive Interventions and Social
Justice
Preventive interventions may function best by targeting
risk factors and strengthening protective factors in
young people (Kenny et al. 2009; Wolf 2005). Protective
and risk factors occur both on an individual and societal
level, thus affecting adolescents within multiple
communities and systems. Protective factors include
the abilities that at-risk individuals have to develop
strengths in spite of negative environmental circumstances
(e.g., poverty, prejudice, and discrimination)
(Walsh et al. 2009). Such factors can include resilience,
self-efficacy, community involvement, and academic
achievement. Although these components do not prevent
at-risk adolescents from facing social injustice,
they increase the likelihood of positive outcomes for
youth who face barriers related to their community,
school, or home environment.
Preventive interventions that promote social justice
are best designed as systemic interventions that reduce
inequality in a variety of settings such as schools and
communities (Kenny et al. 2009; Wolf 2005). These
prevention programs work to simultaneously increase