Facilitating youth development through service-learning: Social justice implications for underserved youth

Abstract

The implications of how service-learning participation can enhance civic knowledge and engagement among young people are discussed at length in the existing literature. However, research that explores the utility of formalizing service-learning as a means of enriching civic education for underserved and minority youth is lacking, particularly within the context of secondary education. The purpose of this article is to contribute to the discourse around increasing the use of service-learning programs as a means of supplementing existing methods that facilitate well-rounded youth development (e.g. school curricula, afterschool programs, mentorship) and enhance well-being among underserved youth within a social justice framework. The aims of this article are met by first illuminating the risk factors facing minority and underserved youth. The social justice implications of service-learning participation for youth are then discussed. Finally, the feasibility of utilizing service-learning as a protective factor for marginalized youth is explored.