Engaging Refugee Youth As Community-Based Researchers: A Pilot Study

Background and Purpose: Engaging refugee youth as leaders in community-based participatory research can have important and lasting benefits for youth and their communities.  The purpose of the present study was to educate and empower resettled Karen refugee youth to engage in all aspects of a pilot educational intervention addressing teen dating violence.  Unlike teen dating violence interventions offered in a school setting to youth of varying cultures, backgrounds, and experiences, this study utilized a community empowerment model to bring together Karen youth outside of the classroom environment. The community self-selected six Karen youth to serve as leaders in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the study.  These youth leaders completed extensive training on the protection of human subjects and the ethical conduction of research as part of their involvement in the project, and served as recruiters, interpreters, peer educators, and evaluators in all phases of the study.  The pilot intervention utilized an adapted version of the Safe Dates curriculum, an evidence-informed teen dating violence program for high school students, and reached 24 Karen youth in total.

Methods:  In order to better understand the youth leaders’ experiences as researchers, we conducted individual semi-structured interviews with each of the youth at the conclusion of the research study.  All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim.  Analysis of the transcripts included line-by-line coding followed by the triangulation of emergent themes by the research team.

Findings:  Five major themes were identified, including: 1) Self-efficacy; 2) Self-esteem; 3) Social support; 4) Understanding research challenges and opportunities; and 5) Intellectual curiosity.  Youth leaders expressed feeling empowered to affect change in their community because of their roles as leaders in the project.  Having the opportunity to serve as researchers contributed to greater self-confidence and improved communication skills.  Several youth shared that their involvement in the research study led to stronger friendships and new relationships that they valued.  In addition, youth gained new knowledge about the research process, and shared ideas about how recruitment and the intervention itself could be enhanced and improved. Several of the youth shared that their participation as leaders in the study had a positive influence on their decision to apply for and enroll in college following their graduation from high school. 

Conclusion: Equipping youth with the knowledge and skills necessary to become members of a research team can result in numerous positive outcomes for youth and can contribute to the acceptability and viability of a research study within a marginalized community; in this case, a community of resettled Karen refugees.