Co-Creating with Youth: Developing and Implementing a Latinidad Conceptual Framework through YPAR and LatCrit

• In Event: Enacting an Intergenerational Critical Participatory Epistemology via a Latinidad Upper Division Elective Course and Curriculum Resources

Abstract

Purpose:
This paper examines the pivotal role of youth researchers in the co-design and implementation of the Conceptual Framework during its inaugural year. Grounded in Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) and Latine Critical Race Theory (LatCrit), the study explores how over 35 youth participants collaboratively shaped curriculum content, pedagogy, and inquiry methods.

Theoretical Frameworks:
YPAR and LatCrit guide this inquiry process. In education research, YPAR “centralizes the voice of youth and positions them as the experts of their education experiences… which can shape educational reform agendas…. And help reframe problems and solutions in education ” (Camarota & Fine, 2008, and Morrell, 2006 as cited by Bautista et al., 2013, p. 4). In this type of research, adults work in partnership with youth as adult allies, reducing the adult-centric perspective of education, while elevating and centering the perspectives of the youth (Chan et al., 2003 as cited by Sprague Martinez et al., 2020). We will look to Cammarota’s (2014, p. 109) Four Critical Principles of YPAR to explore the collaborative processes that informed the curricular structure, content, and implementation of the Conceptual Framework. LatCrit is a theoretical framework that extends CRT by centering the unique experiences and social realities of Latinx communities. LatCrit emerged in the mid-1990s as a response to the perceived limitations of CRT in addressing issues specific to Latinx populations, such as language, immigration status, ethnicity, culture, and identity (Solórzano & Delgado Bernal, 2001). The five central tenets of LatCrit (Solórzano & Delgado Bernal, 2001) will also be used to analyze the cultural, racial, and social justice elements of the youth process and creations.

Methods & Data Sources:
Our methods stem from qualitative, participatory, and critical research approaches. The youth meetings and workshops, artifacts and creations, and community conversations with 35 youth collaborators serve as the data sources. A theoretical analysis of these various sources will be done using Cammarota’s (2014) four YPAR principles to analyze the collaborative process and outcomes. LatCrit’s Five Tenets (Solórzano & Delgado Bernal, 2001) will be used to interpret the cultural, racial, and social justice dimensions of the youth contributions.

Substantiated Conclusions:
The youth researchers played a central role in shaping the Conceptual Framework by translating abstract ideas into practical, culturally grounded curriculum components. Through participatory working groups focused on content, pedagogy, and inquiry, they co-created a curriculum rooted in their lived experiences. Their work aligned with the four principles of YPAR—collaboration, empowerment, transformation, and experiential grounding—and reflected the five tenets of LatCrit by challenging dominant narratives, centering cultural knowledge, and promoting intersectionality and social justice. The process fostered belonging, accessibility, and diverse ways of knowing, ultimately expanding what counts as valid knowledge in educational spaces.

Significance:
This paper contributes to both educational research and practice by reimagining curriculum through youth leadership, advancing equity and social justice in education, bridging theory and practice, and promoting inclusive, culturally sustaining pedagogy. Additionally, this illustrates how engaging youth in participatory research can foster agency, critical consciousness, and leadership, equipping them to advocate for themselves and their communities.

Authors

• Fabiola Quinones, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Sophia Vazquez, Teachers College, Columbia University