Authentic Youth Engagement in Environmental Health Research and Advocacy.

Kathryn M Cardarelli,Craig Wilmhoff,Melinda Ickes,Susan M Pinney,Angela Larck,Luz Huntington-Moskos,Ellen J Hahn

doi:10.3390/ijerph18042154

Abstract

Training in environmental health (EH) engages and inspires youth to tackle health promotion and policy change. Yet, there is little guidance on how to successfully nurture and sustain youth engagement. This paper compares four case studies of youth engagement to promote EH in rural and urban communities using the Youth Empowerment Solutions (YES!) framework. Of the case studies in rural (Central Appalachia) and urban (Cincinnati, Ohio) communities, two employ citizen science approaches using PhotoVoice and environmental sampling; one engages youth in a science communication camp; and one focuses on policy advocacy. We compare and contrast these case studies using the YES! Critical Components and Empowerment levels. The case studies were discussed at the 2020 Partnerships in Environmental Public Health Meeting, where participants identified challenges and possible solutions for promoting and maintaining authentic youth engagement in EH research and advocacy. Analysis of the case studies indicated that youth engagement activities focusing on the individual were more common than those targeting the organizational setting or the community. Youth demonstrate agency to impact EH issues in their communities by engaging in hands-on opportunities to practice citizen science and advocacy. Overcoming challenges to authentic young engagement is important to sustain this work.

Highlights

IntroductionYouth empowerment requires purposeful efforts to develop a sense of agency among adolescents; the sense that their efforts can make a difference [1]
Developing effective and sustained youth engagement in environmental health can lead to great strides in health promotion, research and advocacy
As part of the Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH), a conference was held in February 2020 in Durham, North Carolina, to bring together National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) grantees and their partners to advance the science of community-engaged environmental health research

Summary

Introduction

Youth empowerment requires purposeful efforts to develop a sense of agency among adolescents; the sense that their efforts can make a difference [1]. It requires practicing learned skills in real-life settings [2]. Adults who serve youth can foster this agency and skill development through authentic youth engagement, which can occur at individual, organizational and community levels. For the purposes of this paper, we define authentic youth engagement as providing meaningful opportunities to practice skills (e.g., leadership) in real-life settings and recognizing youth voices as valuable, with the goal of instilling a sense of confidence that their efforts can make a difference [3]

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion