Session: Youth-Led Efforts to Promote Community Health and Development (Society for Social Work and Research 21st Annual Conference - Ensure Healthy Development for all Youth)

Background: Youth participation is emerging as a field of practice and subject of study. At the core of youth participation scholarship is the belief that young people should be viewed as resources in the community with a right and responsibility to participate in the decisions that impact their lives (Finn & Checkoway, 1998; Checkoway, et al., 2003). This perspective assumes that democracy is strengthened by the active participation of young people and that the health and well-being of society is tied to the civic engagement of its population, including its youth (Delgado, 2006).

This session describes four unique youth-led initiatives aimed at improving community health and development.  The first is a youth-led community health assessment, which was conducted in six US cities designed to identify health priority areas, as well as health risk and protective factors for health.  The second describes a community based participatory research effort between youth in a disadvantaged Pittsburgh community and social work researchers to understand youth perceptions of their neighborhood environment and support youth-led efforts to improve environmental health. The third reports on an in-depth study of the first youth-led participatory budgeting project in the United States. It captures the perceptions and experiences of youth engaged in a democratic process where the Mayor of Boston allocated $1 million dollars of the city’s capital budget for youth to propose, develop and vote on capital projects.  Finally we present a youth participatory research project that engaged youth in a metropolitan assessment that sparked the development of a youth-led regional social justice community development initiative across 18 community organizations.  This paper will focus on the impact of youth participatory research as a catalyst for youth voice in community development.

Methods: Panelists employed a variety of data collection methods. Qualitative approaches such as focus groups, key informant interviews, photovoice and observation were employed. While quantitative methods included surveys and neighborhood audits.  In addition, participatory consensus building methods such as charrette were employed.  

Results and implications: Youth-led health and development initiatives described in this session yielded benefits for both youth themselves and the broader community. Youth provide a perspective different from that of adults, which can lead to 1) the development of novel intervention strategies, 2) new perspectives on community dynamics and priorities and 3) novel approaches to data collection, analysis and interpretation.  Working in partnership with youth and providing them with leadership opportunities in community health and development may also reduce the risk of adult-centric views of youth and the broader community (Chan, Carlson, Trickett, & Earls, 2003). Youth-led research and community development provides professional development opportunities and contributes to the development of civic-minded, healthful, and caring adults (M.  Delgado, 2006).  In short, there is value in youth-led research and community development for both youth and the broader community.