Youth Pride, INC: Serving a Visible Community

Abstract

How do feminism and service learning intersect in a transformative way for both studentand community? The University of Rhode Island’s Gender and Women’s Studies course,Feminist Thought into Action, challenges its students to answer this question through a synthesisof the pedagogical aims of feminism and service learning carried out in a course project. Thesemester-long service project asks students to employ a practical application of their knowledgeof feminist theory through activism and service in the community. More specifically, thestudents in the class are asked to choose an organization and, through observation andinteraction, evaluate its status as feminist over the course of the semester in order to better gaugethe effectiveness of feminist methodologies. I chose to focus my project on Youth Pride, INC, alesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth center in Providence, Rhode Island.