Examining the Role of a Program for Youth Advocates in Critical Consciousness Development

The ACLU’s National Advocacy Institute (NAI) is a one-week residential program designed to build youth’s capacities to advocate for civil rights and challenge injustices. This study assessed its role in fostering adolescents’ critical consciousness. We surveyed NAI participants and a comparison group of engaged youth before, one week after (N = 58(NAI)/166(comparison)), and six months after the program (N = 47(NAI)/165(comparison)). Using difference-in-differences analyses with covariates, NAI youth increased their likelihood of taking low- and high-risk political actions after one week and high-risk action frequency after six months, relative to the comparison group. NAI youth increased three forms of critical agency one week and, marginally, six months post-program. No associations were found for critical reflection. As a robustness check, propensity score models mostly replicated results. Findings show the promise of short, intensive programs for sparking growth in critical agency and action and highlight the need for more critical consciousness-raising spaces.