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3-190 - Youth in Action: Engaging Adolescents in Research and Policy

Sat, April 8, 2:30 to 4:00pm, Hilton Austin, Meeting Room 412

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Youth represent almost one-quarter of the U.S. population, but they rarely have the opportunity to shape the education and health policies that impact their lives. Youth action programs, including action civics programs and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), offer innovative approaches to amplify adolescents’ voices while promoting positive youth and community development. Action civics is an experiential approach to learning in which young people address issues relevant to their lives through real world experience. YPAR is a cyclical process of learning and action, in which adolescents are trained to conduct research to improve their lives, their communities, and the institutions intended to serve them. Youth action programs can be useful for any young person wanting to make a difference, and are especially powerful for youth who experience marginalization or oppression.

Paper 1 is an in-depth, mixed methods study of an action civics program in a diverse sample of middle and high school students. The authors explore if effects on civic outcomes differ by characteristics of action civics projects.

Paper 2 employs a quasi-experimental design to examine the effects of a school-based YPAR program on the education outcomes of low-income youth of color.

Paper 3 is an example of a youth-led, policy-relevant YPAR research study on adolescents’ social media use and perceptions of race/ethnicity.

Our discussant, a leading expert in youth action programs, will facilitate an interactive discussion, synthesizing the three papers and highlighting the benefits and challenges of action civics programs and YPAR for diverse youth in the U.S.

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