Running head: LEADERSHIP & SOCIAL JUSTICE 1

Leadership & Social Justice: A Transformative Learning Experience for Alternative Break

Leaders

Marina Briones

Loyola University Chicago

LEADERSHIP & SOCIAL JUSTICE 2

Abstract

This leadership program is aimed towards training alternative break immersion service leaders.

Some of the questions forming this leadership program are: What is each students’ personal

philosophy of leadership? How is leadership simultaneous with social justice? What are

strategies we can offer to our students to give them understanding of power and oppression and

how can they teach this to their groups? How do we get students to truly understand and live out

transformative learning? The participants are Alternative Break Immersion Service Leaders and

all service leaders will be required to attend regardless of experience level. There will be a series

of biweekly “workshops”/meetings throughout the year service leaders will have to attend.

Theories I will use to guide my trainings will be Critical Social Theory, the LID Model, Social

Identity Theory, and Social Justice & Leadership Theory. Assessment for service leader training

will be formative to see where students begin and how they process all the information given to

them by then end of their term as service leaders. My personal goal is for service leaders to grow

a new found passion for fighting for equality, being actively selfless, and to form a true

understanding of what it means to engage in transformative learning. Through this leadership

training program, I aim to focus on the influence of the institutions history and the part it plays in

the mission, several theories and literature relating to social justice and leadership, and delve into

curriculum for the trainings students will be attending.

Key words: alternative breaks, immersion, service leader, leadership

LEADERSHIP & SOCIAL JUSTICE 3

Leadership & Social Justice: A Transformative Learning Experience for Alternative Break

Leaders

My journey in student affairs has been short considering the timeline of my professional

development. Only one year out of my undergraduate career and in my second year of graduate

school, I have been fortunate enough to be able to participate and engage in a plethora of higher

education extracurricular and leadership opportunities. Throughout my time as an undergraduate

student, I knew I had so much love for all the organizations and leadership positions I was

involved in. Like most who end up in this field, I had no idea that this was something I could

potentially dedicate my life to. Upon a short meeting with my mentor and some advising, I

realized that what I wanted to dedicate myself to was working with college students for the rest

of my life. I had been so incredibly involved in my undergraduate career that when I came to

graduate school, I had no idea what functional area I wanted to focus on. I noticed though that

when I had to share in class or when I was conversing with my peers about my previous and best

leadership experiences in undergrad they always related to alternative breaks immersions. I

realized alternative breaks ignited something within me. I found that there was nothing more in

my entire undergraduate experience that I held the same amount of passion for than alternative

breaks immersions. Upon reflection of this, I knew this was the functional area I desired to work

in and establish myself in. My goal in life is to become a director of alternative breaks and

establish an amazing organization that focuses on transformative learning and social justice.

Approaching this class leadership assignment, I knew I had to try to create and develop a

program that fit my vision. I am challenging myself in a new way because I am now developing

rather than just attending something that will build and train the service leaders of alternative
LEADERSHIP & SOCIAL JUSTICE 4

breaks. I am taking this opportunity to create something that I wish I could have been a part of as

an undergraduate and as a professional staff member in alternative breaks.

Theory and literature

Focusing on four main theories guided me in creating the curriculum for my leadership

development program. These theories were as follows: Critical Social theory, the Leadership

Identity (LID) Model, Social Identity theory, and Social Justice and Leadership theory. Through

each meeting in this training, I plan to have curriculum that the facilitators will focus on. Basing

my program off of a private, Jesuit institution, I also plan to have the Four Pillars of Faith Based

Service throughout the trainings for service leaders. Critical social theory will be a large

influence because it is imperative students use their skill in critiquing to create social change.

“…the focus of critical social theory is on placing ‘criticism at the center of its knowledge

production … pushing ideas and frameworks to their limits… [it] functions to cultivate students'

ability to question, deconstruct, and then reconstruct knowledge…(Dugan, 2017 pg.31).’” As

Dugan (2017) mentions, pushing ideas and frameworks is where students need to be when at

their sites and not only participating in community service but pushing themselves to transform

the world around them. By using critical social theory in each meeting, service leaders will be

able to cultivate an understanding of the complexity of it and build upon it through dialogue and

action. Some of the key phrases we will focus on will be willful blindness, attending to power,

cultivating agency, critical self-reflection, and social perspective-talking. Each term will be built

upon as the year ensues and each meeting continues. Students will be led through facilitated

dialogues, community service (service learning), and activities to help them gain knowledge

using different types of learning.

LEADERSHIP & SOCIAL JUSTICE 5

Simultaneously with Critical Social theory, I will be implementing the Leadership

Identity (LID) model with my service leaders. Just as important as it is to know about critical

social theory, it is important to know how they will be implementing these strategies as leaders

on campus. As Komives (2005) mentioned, leadership development develops throughout the

span of a lifetime (p.91). Although I will only have my service leaders for one year, it is my goal

to make sure they are able to learn about their leadership style and how to implement social

justice within it. By starting early with the service leaders, mid-April, I plan to see students from

several different ranges on the LID model. From our students who are holding leadership

positions for the first time in the stage of exploration/engagement, to our more experienced

leaders in later stages like generativity or integration I plan to put them all in the same trainings.

By putting all the service leaders in the same training and holding them accountable for the same

responsibilities I aim to show that all the service leaders are on the same level and will be trained

equally.

Social Identity theory will allow the students to gain a sense of the different types of

power that exist in society. Many times power is associated with leadership. As our students are

leaders in our program, but also leaders on campus it is important to deconstruct power and what

it means for them as leaders on campus. Through the use of the six bases of power; referent

power, expert power, legitimate power, reward power, coercive power, and information power

students will be able to pull from their own experiences times they may have encountered leaders

who executed these types of power and times when it may have even been them (Northouse,

2015 pg.10). I will be able to create dialogue for my students as well as activities that can help

the students critique how the different types of power influence groups in many different ways.

Service leaders will also have the opportunity to examine the influences their own power plays in
LEADERSHIP & SOCIAL JUSTICE 6

perpetuating oppression at certain times. Finally, service leaders will realize how power will be a

prominent concept in the service they will be participating in and therefore be aware they must

be responsible and accountable for their actions.

Foundations

As previously mentioned, I am basing my service immersion program from the

perspective of a private, Jesuit institution. Based on this information, social justice is well

embedded in the program of alternative breaks immersions. This allows the program to have a

great deal of history and understanding of transformative learning. “Leadership development

programs that seek to truly engage in leadership for social justice and develop the leadership

capacity of all students must acknowledge and address the sociohistorical implications of

leadership as a body of literature (Komives, Dugan, Owen, Wagner, Slack & Associates, 2011).”

Komives et. al. (2011) state that in order for students to grasp the full meaning of the work they

will be doing as representative leaders of service immersion, it is crucial they understand the

history of their institution. The goal of these trainings is to have alternative break immersions

leaders establish confidence in their role as leaders as well as educating them on how social

justice plays a large part in the sites they will be working at. Social Justice will also be

extensively focused on in their roles as service leaders through practice in activities like

reflection. As each training creates a wealth of knowledge base for each service leader,

understanding historical implications can help guide them in their role as service leaders at a

private Jesuit institution and how that may come across to individuals they will be serving.

As a base of this program, the focus will be on the four pillars of faith based service.

Through the use of the four pillars, students will be able to delve into the meanings of simplicity,

spirituality, community, and social justice (The Four Pillars, 2017). As students go through the
LEADERSHIP & SOCIAL JUSTICE 7

alternative break leadership trainings, they will be able to focus on one pillar each meeting. As

students gain understanding of each pillar, they will have opportunities to put their understanding

to action. This will be achieved through smaller service “field trips” they will go on throughout

the year as well as in dialogue based scenarios that will be used in trainings.

Learning Outcomes

The following learning outcomes have been based off of Dee Fink’s (2003) taxonomy. I

decided to create my learning outcomes by using Fink’s (2003) taxonomy because it was the

most organized way to ensure a broad range of aspects were touched on through each training

my students would engage in. The purpose of the alternative break leader training series is to

educate the future decades of this world and their influence in the systems put into place within

society. Through the use of critical social theory, the LID Model, Social Identity Theory, and

Social Justice and Leadership Theory students will:

Foundational Knowledge

1. Learn about theories through literature see how they parallel social justice in our

society today.

Application

2. Identify how oppression in our society is constructed through systems.

Integration

3. Grasp the complexity of social justice issues

4. Design an action plan to implement an achievement of change regarding social justice

in each of their respective alternative break immersion sites.

Human Dimensions (learning about self and others)

LEADERSHIP & SOCIAL JUSTICE 8

5. Identify their own salient identities and how they influence their outlook on life and

their experiences within society.

6. Question why people of different backgrounds are allowed to reap the benefits of

justice more than others.

Caring

7. Think critically about social justice and how the actions partaken or lack thereof affect

all individuals.

Learning how to Learn

8. Translate their understanding of personal power to create change by immersing

themselves in assigned literature, dialogues, and community service.

Logistics

In mid-April, Alternative Break Leaders will be chosen and hired. The hiring process will

be extensive through two interviews with previous service leaders and alternative break

immersion professional staff members. In mid-May, alternative break service leaders will have

their first training. The second meeting for service leaders will be after summer break, in late

august, right before school begins. When school officially begins, students will then meet

biweekly every Friday from 1pm to 3pm. Throughout each training, professional staff will have

curriculum that will guide them and help them with facilitation of what needs to be accomplished

through each meeting.

Curriculum for Mid-May Meeting

In the first meeting the students will focus on: meeting and connecting with other

alternative break leaders through ice breakers, gaining a sense of understanding of what is ahead

in the upcoming school year, exposure to social justice and how it connects to their leadership
LEADERSHIP & SOCIAL JUSTICE 9

roles, exposure to the four pillars of faith based service, and setting expectations and goals of

what the year ahead needs or might look like. As this is the first meeting, it important students

feel excitement for their role but also understand that they will be engaging in transformative

learning for the year in ways they might not have experienced before. By the end of the meeting,

students will set up their online journal and begin their first journal. The first journal will be a

free write expressing whatever they like regarding alternative break immersions and/or their new

role.

Curriculum for August (2nd Meeting)

This meeting will focus on a reiteration of the four pillars but more primarily focus on

critical social theory. “In other words, critical social theories are concerned with understanding

the flow of power in society, how this contributes to social stratification, and ways in which we

can create more democratic and just social arrangements (Dugan, 2017 pg. 31).” As Dugan

(2017) mentions, through the exposure and understanding of the flow of power students can

engage in dialogue that will hopefully expand their minds and look into how we can use our

privilege to help the communities’ needs and not what we may think they need. As the meeting

ensues students will receive scenario based exercises where they will be challenged to think

outside of their comfort zone and their own lived experiences. Students will also critique society

and the standards put into place that allow power and oppression to thrive. Since this is the first

meeting we do not expect students to know critical social theory completely. My hope for this

meeting is to set my own expectations of what I hope the students will be able to achieve by the

time they are set off into their own sites and immersed in a new community. Closing the

meeting, students will use the ending time to reflect in their online journals. Some of the

prompted questions will be as follows: How would you best define critical social theory? How
LEADERSHIP & SOCIAL JUSTICE 10

do you feel critical social theory plays a part in your role as an alternative spring break leader?

What connections can you make to leadership and critical social theory? Power?

Curriculum for August-April Meetings

As the rest of the year continues and service leaders engage in more meetings, they will

hopefully create a competency for social justice and how it relates to their leadership in new and

diverse communities. Some topics service leaders will engage in throughout the semester will be

how to budget, conflict mediation, reflection, what is leadership, how am I part of perpetuating

power and oppression, how does social justice guide my leadership, and what happens after the

trip? Each meeting will build off of one another and create deep critical thinking for the service

leaders. Students will be active in their transformative learning by participating not only in

meetings, but also in mini field trips I will take service leaders on. Service leaders will be

required to engage in direct and indirect service in order to be exposed to the different types of

ways they can impact the world. Every meeting will close with students reflecting in their online

journals and sometimes different reflection techniques like guided meditation.

Assessment

Students will be assessed formatively throughout the leadership trainings. My goal is to

create a very thorough yearlong program that establishes itself within the student. Service leaders

will hopefully have explored what it truly means to be a leader and how social justice and

leadership really go hand in hand in many aspects. I want students to emerge as leaders that

represent social justice through action and dialogue they participate in. What makes the

assessment formative is that it will begin with a self-survey in the beginning of the hiring

process. Once students have officially declared that they would like to be service leaders, they

will take a survey that asks them questions about leadership and social justice. The end portion
LEADERSHIP & SOCIAL JUSTICE 11

of the program will have service leaders write a short reflection on how they view themselves in

regards to leadership and social justice. The staff will take this information to gauge where

students are in the different stages of the program and therefore shape the different trainings as

needed. After each meeting, an important factor will be to have student leaders reflect in an

online journal they will keep that only the director will look at which will show student growth

as the year progresses. The journaling will sometimes have prompts and sometimes not. At the

end of the year when the service leaders have come back from their service immersion trips, they

will be able to find their journals unlocked and may read their entries to note how much progress

they have made. Service leaders will also take a closing out survey similar to the first one they

took when they interviewed. Service leaders will be advised to make sure to take surveys as

seriously as possible in order to promote effective growth for themselves and the program itself.

The journals, survey, and leadership trainings overall are designed for impact in the long term.

My end goal will be for students to take their wealth of knowledge and be able to continuously

grow and apply it to the world around them well after college.

Conclusion

As I finished this leadership training program for my imagined alternative break immersion

service leaders, I was extremely excited for my future in the career I have chosen. I was ecstatic

to find that I did not dread an ounce of this paper because I hold so much love and passion for

the work I hope to do for the rest of my life. I look forward to my time and my path in higher

education, although I know I may not immediately find a position in campus ministry or

alternative breaks directly out of graduate school. Through this creation, I challenged myself in

making sure I dedicated my foundation in theory and used my knowledge of leadership to the

fullest. I hope to work on this curriculum and training program in the future. I hope to one day
LEADERSHIP & SOCIAL JUSTICE 12

have students of my own that grow to understand the true meaning of transformative learning; it

is not their own transformation that matters, but the fire within them to transform the world

around them.
LEADERSHIP & SOCIAL JUSTICE 13

References:

Dugan, J. (2017). Leadership theory: Cultivating critical perspectives. San Francisco, CA:

Jossey-Bass

Fink, L.D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to

developing college courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Komives, S., Owen, J., Longerbeam, S., Mainella, F., Osteen, L. (2005). Developing a

leadership identity model: Applications from a Grounded theory. Journal of College

Komives, S. R., Dugan, J. P., Owen, J. E., Wagner, W., Slack, C., & Associates. (2011).

Handbook for student leadership development. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

Northouse, P. (2015). Leadership: Theory and practice, 7th edition. CA: Sage.

Roberts, D., Ullom, C. (1989). Student leadership program model. NASPA Journal 21 (1), 67-74

The Four Pillars. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2017, from

https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/four-pillars