ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to identify the attempt of two communities(one Mexican American, one African American, both low-income) to authentically involve young people in the development and planning process of a community high school. Recognizing the adverse conditions faced by African American and Latinoa high school students (constant marginalization at the hands of school teachers and administrators, criminalization through school policy, high suspension rates, low graduation rates, etc.), this chapter documents the necessity of youth empowerment in creating a neighborhood high school. Having operated as an active participant in the process, the author utilizes the tenets of participatory action research to discuss the challenge and struggle to authentically include young people in the process of neighborhood school development. Throughout the progression of the initiative, participants realized that one of the most viable means through which to foster sustainable community collaboration is a practice that includes young people in the decision- making process. For the duration of the initiative (from the initial hunger strike to the submission of the proposal for the high school to central office), young people were central to dialogue and coalition building, highlighting commonalities between two cultures with distinct histories and realities.
