TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose The concept of an American Dream was interrogated during a service-learning partnership between university students and a multilingual, racially diverse class of sixth graders. The one-on-one service-learning partnerships were at the heart of the semester-long project and sought horizontalidad, or non-authoritarian democratic communication and shared knowledge creation. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach This project leveraged the arts and humanities within the context of social studies education to promote youth civic engagement. This project used Photovoice methodology in which all participants took photos and wrote about their American Dream. Participants then shared their photography and writing at three public gallery events in the community in an effort to educate others about their perspectives, experiences, and hopes regarding the American Dream.Findings Findings from the reciprocally minded partnership centered on the sixth-grade students taking a collective approach to the American Dream. Specifically, they noted their commitment to their families and desire to support others, with some sixth graders even sharing a commitment to promoting social justice. Some participants demonstrated a “we consciousness,” or a collective approach to social justice.Originality/value The study provides insights into how educators can engage middle school students in democratic practice as active citizens in a service-learning partnership. Through a service-learning themed project about the American Dream, middle school students were able to share their voices and experiences with the larger community via a project rooted in horizontalidad.
VL  - 13
IS  - 1
SN  - 1933-5415
DO  - 10.1108/SSRP-08-2017-0045
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/SSRP-08-2017-0045
AU  - Montgomery Sarah Elizabeth
AU  - Montgomery Zak K.
AU  - Vander Zanden Sarah
AU  - Jorgensen Ashley
AU  - Rudic Mirsa
PY  - 2018
Y1  - 2018/01/01
TI  - Cultivating the collective: exploring the American dream with sixth graders
T2  - Social Studies Research and Practice
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 31
EP  - 45
Y2  - 2024/04/18
ER  -