"In 2009, I taught a Service Learning FSEM: "Youth Cultures: Inequality, Resistance, and Empowerment." This was the first time teaching my FSEM as a service learning class, and it was an amazing experience. With the help of my wonderful Service Learning Associate, Cameron Lewis, our class partnered with “The Spot” youth center and Rainbow Alley. Both organizations work to empower teens by providing a safe and creative space for low-income, homeless, and LGBTQ youth. FSEM students joined outreach workers at The Spot on night walks around the city, distributing needed items to homeless youth. Students also participated in consciousness-raising workshops at Rainbow Alley, connecting with Rainbow Alley youth through these workshops.

"FSEM course material focused on youth and social inequalities, including issues such as how racism and poverty affect youth, how youth occupy public spaces, and how youth cultures resist oppression through art and activism. Although these are powerful themes, the service learning experience brought these experiences to life in a way that readings alone could not. Students witnessed police harassment of homeless youth. They learned about the lives and identities of queer youth. They learned about the importance of art and activism in countering inequality. In discovering the similarities and differences between themselves and these youth, students had to grapple with their own privilege(s). And when The Spot encountered economic crisis and was faced with having to discontinue its hip-hop arts program, students learned about the fragility of truly youth-led environments in the face of dwindling funding and shifting political will.

"I have learned that teaching a service learning course requires tremendous flexibility. The partnership between the class and community organization can unexpectedly shift. Students might need extra time to process an unexpected event, insight, or struggle. However, the complexities raised and the insights learned are well worth it."

Since 2009, Dr. Gordon has worked with three Service Learning Associates to bolster the service-learning in her courses. The students in these courses have worked on community projects with various partner organizations, had additional reflection support from Service Learning Associates and benefited from hands-on community experiences that tied to their curricular learning.