YOUTH LEADERSHIP IN ACTION (YLIA): FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING A YOUTH PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH PROGRAM IN INNER-CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES

Purpose: Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) is one type of community-partnered participatory research through which young people are engaged in the process of identifying, analyzing, and addressing challenges in their environment. We partnered with young people in Pittsburgh to implement You...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of adolescent health 2021-02, Vol.68 (2S), p.S7
Main Authors: Dwarakanath, Namita, Szoko, Nicholas, Miller, Elizabeth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Action research
At risk populations
Children & youth
Citizen participation
Community centers
Community mental health services
Community research
Connectedness
Content analysis
Curricula
Empowerment
Interpersonal relations
Intervention
Interviews
Leadership
Marginality
Mental health
Mental health care
Needs assessment
Neighborhoods
Participatory action research
Peers
Personal development
Polls & surveys
Prevention programs
Public schools
Recruitment
Referrals
Resilience
Responses
School attendance
Self-efficacy
Social change
Support groups
Trauma
Urban schools
Young adults
Youth
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Summary:Purpose: Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) is one type of community-partnered participatory research through which young people are engaged in the process of identifying, analyzing, and addressing challenges in their environment. We partnered with young people in Pittsburgh to implement Youth Leadership in Action (YLIA), a multisite initiative adopting a YPAR framework. We focused on recruitment of youth who would not historically be recognized as 'leaders' in their communities, including youth at risk for school 'push out.' Our primary goals were to promote youth empowerment, foster resilience, and generate contextual responses to youth-identified needs in their schools and communities. Longitudinal aims of this intervention include: increased academic achievement; greater self-efficacy, peer connectedness, and future orientation; and decreased mental and emotional stress from prior trauma. Methods: We implemented YLIA at four sites, which included three urban schools (in-school and after-school) and one community center, in areas of concentrated disadvantage throughout Pittsburgh. Participants were recruited through school administrator referrals, word of mouth from peers, and outreach to existing youth violence prevention programs. Sessions occurred approximately once weekly over the course of the academic year. With the YLIA curriculum, youth performed a collaborative needs assessment, developed a proposed intervention, and worked with stakeholders to facilitate implementation of their project. These projects were the primary outcome. Additional outcomes included: feasibility/acceptability of programming; academic performance, school attendance, and disciplinary referrals; impact on personal development; and impact on interpersonal relationships. Data for secondary outcomes were gathered from de-identified school records, cross-sectional surveys, and semi-structured qualitative interviews. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize survey data. Narrative interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using a content analysis approach. Results: Approximately 80 youth participated across all sites; 63 respondents at three sites completed surveys. Median age was 15 (range 12-19). The majority of participants were referred by a friend (82%). Most attended greater than six sessions (58%). Projects emerging from YLIA included: a peer-led mental health support group; a trauma-sensitive decompression room; a food drive for surrounding neighborhoo
ISSN:1054-139X
1879-1972