The intersection of hip hop and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) in school counseling to create and sustain homeplace

ABSTRACT

bell hooks described homeplace as a space for love, belonging and connection that actively resists the dominant narratives within white supremacy. This article highlights how hip hop culture and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) led by school counselors can be used as a homeplace in schools, a space where students can speak on their experiences with issues in schools in a way they value most. This article details 2 ways hip hop and YPAR were combined to develop homeplaces. The authors describe the experiences of the students in the hip hop and YPAR process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional resources

1. Cook, A. & Levy, I.P. (Eds). (in press). Activating youth as change agents: YPAR in school counseling.

This textbook provides school counselors with ways to infuse YPAR into their comprehensive programs. Each chapter focuses on YPAR being infused into school counseling through a developmentally appropriate lens.

2. Levy, I. (2021). Hip-hop and spoken word therapy in school counseling: Developing culturally responsive approaches. Routledge.

This book describes how hip hop and spoken word can be incorporated into a school counseling program. Each chapter details a way hip hop was infused into the structure of the school.

3. University of California, Berkeley (n.d.). YPAR Hub. https://yparhub.berkeley.edu/home

Developed by a group of scholars and practitioners dedicated to YPAR work, this website provides those who are interested in incorporating YPAR into their schools, a handbook to facilitate YPAR. There are lesson plans, assessments, and other tools that can help facilitators structure their work to promote change.