Social Justice Education as Anti-Poverty Work: Undergraduates’ Experiential Learning in Childhood and Youth Spaces

Experiential learning is a growing commitment in higher education and often takes the form of undergraduates venturing off of their campuses and into the communities surrounding their colleges. Through the lens of experiential learning theory (Kolb, 1984), this qualitative study examines the lived experiences and outcomes of undergraduates delivering literacy based social justice education lessons in local childhood spaces. As a further focus, this study also seeks to illuminate the role of social justice education as a form of anti-poverty work when implemented through college-community partnerships. Analysis of the experiences of ten undergraduate students at a small private liberal arts college in Central New York will work to demonstrate the role college-community partnerships can play in fostering social justice and class equity, specifically in the context of undergraduates working with children and youth