Youth-Based Participatory Research: Action Framework, Assessment Tools, and Lessons from the Field

Community-engaged research involves members of a community in the research process, integrates research with action activities, and the knowledge gained from the research has implications for practice and policy. With its emphasis on inclusion and action, participatory research is aligned with the social work profession's commitment to empowerment, the strengths perspective, and social justice. Despite the relevance of participatory research to social work, the participatory research literature is somewhat elusive in terms of how to carry out the participatory research concepts in real-world projects, and in particular with youth-based participatory action research projects. This workshop will clarify participatory research concepts, including the perspectives of young people currently engaged in a youth-led participatory action research project, and address key considerations for social work researchers.

Panelists include five scholars and practitioners engaged in youth-based participatory research initiatives, and panelists will discuss the following topics: 1) the conceptual roots of community-engaged research with an emphasis on youth-led participatory action research, 2) an introduction of the ACTION framework (Assess Connect Transform In Our Neighborhood) for engaging community members in the research design, process for planning the design and implementation of youth-led participatory action research, and strategies for the dissemination of findings, 3) an introduction and demonstration of the application of the Participatory Research Impact Assessment (PRIA) tool which examines the impact of the participatory research process, and 4) other key considerations including ethics, community engagement with youth and hard-to-reach youth populations, capacity building and sustainability. Key challenges in youth-based participatory action research will be discussed, including cultural considerations, barriers to and limitations of engagement, capacity building for youth-partner participants, collaboration and boundaries, IRB considerations, and issues of ownership of data and findings.

The approach to this workshop has been designed to ensure that this workshop leads to significant learning by the participants. Workshop objectives include: a) participants will be able to describe the conceptual roots of community-engaged research with an emphasis on youth-led participatory evaluation and action research; b) participants will be able to apply the ACTION framework for planning the design and implementation of youth-led participatory evaluation and action research; c) participants will have exposure to tools that assess the youth-based participatory evaluation and action research process, including the Participatory Research Impact Assessment (PRIA); and d) participants will learn firsthand of best practices and lessons learned from young people leading a youth-based participatory research project in the Southwest US. This workshop will add to the current knowledge base of participatory research for social workers as it breaks down a complex approach to research in user-friendly steps, presents emerging best practices in the design of youth-led participatory research. This is important to social work research and practice as participatory research is in line with our professional values, employs a strengths-based empowerment approach to research, and aims to promote social justice within community practice.