Teaching to Make a Difference

This article addresses college classes as forums for activism. One course brought college students together with system-involved girls for a mentoring program to provide often-unavailable, relationship-oriented services to girls. A second course provided a unique educational experience for incarcerated youth and traditional college students to study restorative justice. As such, the course itself was an attempt to practice restorative justice principles by strengthening the damaged relationship between offenders and the community. Data collected from participants allow for an exploration of the experiences, perceptions, and changes in attitudes and beliefs. Further discussion on linking activism and teaching is presented