Shirley Steinberg headshot

Shirley Steinberg

“Listening To Their Generation: Advocacy and Support with Youth” will be the topic of a presentation by educator and researcher Shirley Steinberg, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 4, in the Escalante Room of Illinois State University’s Vrooman Center. A reception will be held prior to the talk at 6:30 p.m. Steinberg’s presentation, which is free and open to the public, is part of the Illinois State University Speaker Series.

Steinberg, a research professor of critical youth studies at the University of Calgary, will lead a conversation about youth and the challenges of intergenerational communication and relationships. She will examine ways to facilitate youth activism and support, and elevate today’s young people. Steinberg’s presentation is hosted by Illinois State’s School of Teaching and Learning and sponsored by the Harold K. Sage Foundation and the Illinois State University Foundation. Additional support is provided by Illinois State’s Departments of Criminal Justice Sciences, History, the Women’s and Gender Studies program, and from a Global Engagement Learning Grant.

She will also present at the International Seminar Series on September 5.

Steinberg is the author and editor of many books in critical pedagogy and cultures, urban and youth culture, critical qualitative research, and cultural studies. Originally a social/improvisational theatre creator, she has facilitated happenings and flashmobs globally. A regular contributor to the Spanish, U.S., and Canadian press, she is an internationally known speaker and teacher. She is the organizer of the International Institute of Critical Pedagogy and Transformative Leadership, and is committed to a global community of transformative educators and community workers engaged in radical love, social justice, and the situating of power within social and cultural contexts, specifically involving youth. Her most recent book is Activists Under 30: Global Youth, Social Justice, and Good Work.

Steinberg’s work focuses on the cultural and social education development of youth, and critical community involvement. She is concerned with how society views young people, and her work creates an environment in which youth are viewed as positive democratic agents within society. As a research chair, she has established an international network of youth and community workers engaged in a critical pedagogical approach to activism and pedagogy. Her work is currently focused on issues of Islamophobia, empowerment of youth and women, and authentic community engagement.

The Illinois State University Speaker Series seeks to bring innovative and enlightening speakers to the campus with the aim of providing the community with a platform to foster dialogue, cultivate enriching ideas, and continue an appreciation of learning as an active and lifelong process. All talks are free and open to the public.