Global Kids Organizing in the Global City: Generation of Social Capital in a Youth Organizing Program

Positive youth development and youth organizing are strengths-based approaches to the lives, needs, and contributions of young people (Damon & Gregory, 2003). These approaches privilege the voices of youth as they engage with issues in their communities and challenge institutions to respond. Few studies, however, have explored the role of positive youth development and youth organizing initiatives among immigrant youth of color. The challenging terrain of modern urban life requires these youth to navigate the political, economic, and legal demands confronted by their families; to understand the rules for success in public schools; and to steer clear of violence in their communities. Larger issues such as climate change and environmental justice understandably cannot be priorities for youth who are preoccupied with day-to-day survival. The Global Kids Greening Western Queens initiative sought to bridge the gaps between individual and collective concerns and between local and global issues by training immigrant youth of color to become community organizers.