In a time of unprecedented polarization in the United States, particularly concerning immigration, schools are uniquely positioned to help students understand the consequences of drastic policy changes. Beyond formal settings such as social studies classes, extracurricular activities may be important for fostering discussions about sociohistorical and policy issues. Such discussions could serve to empower youth from marginalized populations and raise their critical consciousness. Yet the potential outcomes of discussions in these extracurricular settings have not been studied in depth. Using data collected in school-based Gender-and-Sexuality-Alliances (GSAs) throughout Massachusetts during the periods leading up to and following the 2016 US Presidential election, we examined whether discussions of immigration issues in GSAs were associated with greater empowerment and critical consciousness among 580 youth (M _Age = 15.59, range = 10–20 years). Multilevel structural equation models showed that the frequency with which youth discussed immigration, relative to their fellow members, was positively associated with residualized change in perceived peer validation for members in general and with residualized change in hope for immigrant-origin members only. Contrary to our expectations, we did not find significant associations for critical consciousness. Findings suggest how groups addressing issues of equity and justice can promote members' empowerment.

中文翻译：

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在性别和性联盟中讨论移民对移民和非移民青年的好处

在美国前所未有的两极分化时期，尤其是在移民方面，学校处于独特的位置，可以帮助学生了解剧烈政策变化的后果。除了社会研究课程等正式环境之外，课外活动对于促进对社会历史和政策问题的讨论也很重要。此类讨论有助于增强来自边缘化人群的青年的权能，并提高他们的批判意识。然而，尚未深入研究在这些课外环境中讨论的潜在结果。使用在 2016 年美国总统大选前后期间在马萨诸塞州以学校为基础的性别与性联盟 (GSA) 收集的数据，M _年龄 = 15.59，范围 = 10-20 岁）。多层次结构方程模型表明，相对于其他成员，青年讨论移民的频率与一般成员感知同伴验证的残余变化以及仅对移民来源成员的希望残余变化呈正相关。与我们的预期相反，我们没有发现批判意识的显着关联。调查结果表明，解决公平和正义问题的团体可以如何促进成员的赋权。