Civic Literacy, Volume 2: Building Civic Futures in and Out of School

In an era when education can extend far beyond traditional classrooms, this volume explores how young people engage with civic life and shape their futures through creative, critical, and collective action. This timely volume brings together a diverse group of scholars and practitioners who highlight the rich potential of out-of-school spaces, digital platforms, and community-based practices to nurture the next generation of civic leaders.

From youth-driven podcasts to speculative fiction and social media activism, the chapters in this book chart a range of innovative and empowering practices that support young people’s development as activists, storytellers, and agents of change. Contributors examine how Black, immigrant, refugee, and urban youth are crafting new narratives of justice, belonging, and resistance-often in the face of systemic oppression.

In this volume, you’ll discover:

• Civic activism through literacy practices, as Black youth challenge dominant narratives and fight for justice in educational spaces.
• Podcasting and digital storytelling as powerful tools for youth to engage in civic discourse, shape their identities, and amplify their voices.
• The role of critical speculative design and Afrofuturism in expanding the possibilities for civic engagement and envisioning a just future.
• Community-engaged learning that connects young people with place-based activism, from migrant girls in urban settings to refugee youth constructing multimodal counterstories.
• The intersection of digital literacies and global civic futures, highlighting transnational youth activism and the power of digital platforms to create solidarity across borders.

The first volume focuses on the future-oriented civic literacy learning taking place in K-12 classrooms. The third volume explores the transformative role of civic education in ELA classrooms and teacher preparation programs, focusing on social justice, critical literacy, and activism. This collection redefines what it means to be civically engaged in the twenty-first century and offers actionable insights for educators, community leaders, and anyone interested in empowering young people to create more equitable and inclusive societies. Join the conversation and learn how, outside the classroom, young people are building the futures they deserve.

Nicole Mirra is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. Her research utilizes participatory design methods in classroom, community, and digital spaces to collaboratively create civic learning environments with youth and educators that disrupt discourses and structures of racial injustice and creatively compose liberatory social futures.