Elevating Community Voices through Place-Based Education Initiatives in Chicago

Overview & Synopsis

The Chicago Center for Urban Life and Culture is a non-profit organization that has been developing place-based education models since it was established in 1970. Situated in an urban environment, the Chicago Center operates at the intersection of higher education and place-based education with a pedagogical approach that centers and elevates community voices. Place-based education initiatives provide students with educational opportunities emphasizing active, experiential learning by immersing the participant in local communities and critically examining their context. The Chicago Center enriches place-based education by using a first-person instructional approach--First Voice Pedagogy--to expand the traditional classroom and link liberal arts education to applied learning through exposure to community-based leaders and organizations. In this article, I review relevant literature that centers on place-based education and propose a paradigm shift in place-based education that draws on critical service learning. The article grapples with several questions on the relationship between place, urban environments, and more inclusive approaches. It concludes by offering encouraging practices to establish more inclusive place-based initiatives.