How School-Based “Pockets of Humanity” Can Promote Student Well-Being: Youth Perspectives on Justice and Well-Being in School

This study examines how youth activists perceive the impact of school conditions on their well-being in current political contexts. Focusing on qualitative interviews with twelve high school student activists from the organizing base of a digital youth advocacy organization, I explore the relationsh...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kate Somerville
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-05-01
Series:AERA Open
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584251337690
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Summary:This study examines how youth activists perceive the impact of school conditions on their well-being in current political contexts. Focusing on qualitative interviews with twelve high school student activists from the organizing base of a digital youth advocacy organization, I explore the relationship between youth’s experiences of justice or injustice and perceptions of their own well-being in educational settings. Participants experienced diminished well-being when schools mirrored broader injustices, but they experienced increased well-being in school-based “pockets of humanity” that countered injustices. This analysis highlights how external community conditions influence student well-being and how schools can exacerbate or mitigate the well-being effects of broader injustices. Implications include a discussion of research, practice, and policy avenues for creating school-based pockets of humanity in today’s political context.
ISSN:2332-8584