Event

Part of the BCTR Talks at Twelve series. Lunch is provided or you’re welcome to bring your lunch during the talk.

Youth participatory action research centers the voices of young people with lived experiences in the research process. It is an essential component of the Independent Living Survey which focuses on understanding and addressing unhoused youth and vulnerable populations’ needs across Tompkins County. The Independent Living Survey has been conducted every four to five years since 2003. The 2024 iteration was expanded to explore precursors to homelessness, COVID-19 impacts, and mental health among youth experiencing housing insecurity.

Members of ACT for Youth (including undergraduate research assistants); community stakeholders, from organizations like The Learning Web; and young people who have experienced homelessness collaborated on survey design, data collection, data interpretation, and presentations of findings. The combined effort creates a better understanding and shared information regarding issues such as housing, food security, employment, education, involvement in public systems, safety, strengths, and goals for the future.

During this talk, members of the collaborative research team — including ACT for Youth researchers, student researchers, and youth researchers from The Learning Web — will share information about their approach to survey design, the process for training youth researchers from The Learning Web’s Youth Outreach program to collect data, their data dialogue process for better understanding findings, and ways information has been shared with the community and stakeholders.