ISSUES THAT MATTER: CIVIC DISCOURSE THROUGH ARTS-BASED, CRITICIAL SERVICE-LEARNING

Abstract

The current College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) framework lacks spaces to practice civic discourse. Afterschool clubs, however, could be spaces where discourse could flourish. Scholars have argued that afterschool clubs are one way to augment civics education (Kirlin, 2002; Neild et al., 2019). Clubs offer an innovative way to integrate the C3 components, utilizing extra-curricular, choice-based formats for learning. Afterschool clubs can activate and provide a safe place for civic discourse. Within clubs, students can participate in many civics-oriented activities, including critical service-learning. Clubs are ideal for using critical service-learning and an arts-based education to develop critical discourse skills because students are provided safe spaces, issues are relevant to learners, and a variety of choice is available. This study seeks to examine how an afterschool club might impact civic discourse through an arts-based, critical service-learning approach. The school structure has limited opportunities for engagement in civic education, decreasing opportunities to engage in relevant social issues that matter to students (Gindi et al., 2021). Providing safe spaces for students to activate and foster critical voices is vital for cultivating empathic and civic-minded future leaders (Whitehead, 2021).