Education today is perceived as a pivotal tool for promoting social justice by equalizing opportunities and fostering responsibility for a more equitable society (Jean-Marie, Normore & Brooks, 2009; Waite & Arar, 2020). To commit to social justice, education must ensure that every child experiences the highest possible level of well-being, regardless of their ethnic background or social status (Bogotch & Shields, 2014). Approaches to social justice education emphasize the role of education in fostering values of equality, inclusion, and recognition, proposing practices that integrate personal development, the cultivation of social awareness, and active participation in community and political systems (Chang & Cochran-Smith, 2022).

This study draws on Nancy Fraser’s theory (2008, 2009), which highlights the necessity of a comprehensive understanding of social justice encompassing three dimensions—distributive, recognitional, and representational justice. Each of these dimensions is essential for achieving equality and fairness in society.

Empirical research on social justice education remains limited and primarily focuses on formal education (Gumus, Arar & Oplatka, 2020). This study addresses this lacuna by focusing on non-formal youth frameworks, based on the assumption that their organizational structure and mission inherently embody the potential for social justice education.

Non-formal education is considered a unique space for engaging with complex social issues, particularly social justice. Youth frameworks (youth movements and organizations), characterized by their flexibility and connection to diverse communities, provide fertile ground for discussing perceptions and practices of social justice. Studies highlight that such frameworks not only address material needs but also recognize cultural diversity and foster a sense of belonging—processes that are essential for promoting social justice. These frameworks empower young people to take ownership of their social engagement, thereby fostering a deeper understanding and commitment to social justice (Corney et al., 2023; Simac, Marcus & Harper, 2021; Hull & Greeno, 2006).

The research aims to characterize educational leaders' perceptions of social justice, identify the practices they implement to promote it, and examine how social justice education is interpreted and applied among diverse populations. The study distinguishes between frameworks targeting the general population and those designed for marginalized groups.

This qualitative study explores how leaders in youth movements and organizations understand and implement social justice, emphasizing their personal perceptions within varied cultural and social contexts. The study involved in-depth interviews with 30 educational leaders across three levels of management—Secretary-Generals, Regional Coordinators, and Branch Coordinators—from 13 youth movements and organizations in Israel. The analysis was based on the dimensions of social justice identified in the literature: distributive, recognitional, and representational justice. A thematic analysis (The author, 1995) was conducted to map perceptions and practices across the three dimensions, and to distinguish between two distinct models of social justice based on the classification of frameworks according to their target populations.

The findings indicate that while the leaders initially struggled to articulate a clear definition of social justice, they ultimately conceptualized it based on the three dimensions. Some defined social justice in terms of distributive justice, while others emphasized recognition and representational justice. The variety of implemented practices reflects Fraser’s (2008) approach, which advocates integrating multiple dimensions of justice in educational efforts to better address inequality and exclusion. Different practices were identified for each dimension. For distributive justice, practices include efforts to establish branches in diverse locations, including marginalized communities, and implement subsidized systems for participants with limited financial means. For recognitional and representational justice, practices involve fostering diversity within the frameworks, both in staff composition and participants, and tailoring activities to the unique needs of participants based on differences in nationality, gender, religion, and socioeconomic status. Moreover, the disparate approaches between frameworks serving privileged and marginalized populations may foster divergent conceptualizations of social justice among these groups. This divergence stems from the partial and limited nature of social justice messaging delivered to each group, which fails to convey a comprehensive understanding of social justice principles and their broader societal implications. To this end, there is a need to develop a unified curriculum on social justice education for youth frameworks, one that delivers consistent messages and provides equitable skills to all participants (Mills et al., 2022). This implies that frameworks working with marginalized populations should shift their focus from building human capital to fostering "agency" to advance aspirations, develop critical thinking, and promote justice-oriented actions aimed at addressing structural inequalities (Gale & Molla, 2015). Conversely, frameworks engaging privileged populations should deepen their focus on distributive and recognitional justice and create opportunities for encounters with diverse groups they do not naturally engage with.

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