Youth Voice Research Articles

Independent living programs and services for youth 'aging out' of care in Canada and the U.S.: A systematic review

Evidence from American and Canadian studies over the last three decades demonstrates that youth exiting foster care are at a much higher risk to face a multiplicity of challenges than their peers who are not in care. These challenges result in negative outcomes, such as high rates of homelessness, under-education, unemployment or under-employment, poverty, mental health issues and post-traumatic stress, substance abuse and early pregnancy or parenthood. This systematic review addresses Independent Living Program (ILP) and Independent Living Services (ILS) studies in the U.S. and Canada published between 2000 and 2018. In order to compile a list of relevant ILP and ILS impact studies, a bibliographic search of six databases was conducted for the peer-reviewed literature, and the grey literature was searched using Google and expert consultation. The search yielded a total of 64 studies after applying our study selection protocol, with 50 from the peer review literature and 14 from the grey literature. The clear majority of studies originated from the U.S., with only three Canadian studies emerging from the grey literature. This is most likely due to differences in mandated data collection and reporting. In the U.S., data collection and reporting is mandatory under the Foster Care Independence Act in 1999. In Canada, there is no such mandatory reporting as child welfare services are under the sole jurisdiction of the provinces, with no Federal government involvement aside from First Nations children and youth. Studies to date suggest that ILP and ILS are not producing the intended outcomes, with limited to no impact demonstrated on youth leaving care wellbeing outcomes. In fact, some of the studies found a negative impact, especially related to social support. Much of the ILP and ILS studies did not incorporate the voices of youth in care, but rather focused on program process and components, staff experiences, and outcome measures such as social support, employment, income, housing and self-sufficiency. Of the limited ILP and ILS studies incorporating youth perspectives, youth in care often indicated that emotional support and mentoring are crucial needs during the transition to adulthood, which are often not the focus of ILP or ILS. Moreover, compared to the U.S., program impact studies in Canada are sorely lacking; more research needs to be done in this area to build our knowledge of evidence-based and best practices. This systematic review highlights two main conclusions: (1) Both the U.S. and Canada sorely need innovation with respect to preparing youth in care for the transition to adulthood; and (2) We also must commit to using rigorous research designs with such programming to determine the impact of such new approaches. In sum, we must reconceptualize our investment in youth in care and focus on their interdependence in order to realize their potential.This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Young people's climate activism: A review of the literature

The year 2018 was a watershed year for young people's climate activism. In this review article, we explore the methodological trends and key themes across contemporary academic literature on young people's climate activism. In the academic literature, following an initial wave of survey-based research of young people and textual analysis of secondary data like media reportage, the field is experiencing a second wave of qualitative research and a resurgence of emphasis on youth voice in research. Accordingly, we identify the strengths of the existing literature in its exploration of key themes including the composition, practices and outcomes of young people's climate activism, and the ways young people understand and act on climate change. We identify several gaps in the literature that arise from a disproportionate focus on research topics, and especially a disproportionate focus on activism in the global North and in wealthy and White communities, a focus on mass mobilizations, and an intensive interest in the individual activist Greta Thunberg. Our analysis leads to recommendations for future research based on three conceptual challenges. We argue that future research must respond to these challenges: first, the limited and constraining social constructions of “youth” as a category; second, the practical challenges of working with young people, not least in relationships of consent; and third, the need to respond to adultism in research practices and to develop youth-centered approaches to the activism of young people. This review article intends to contribute to a step change in theory and methods for the study of young people's climate activism.

"No One Should Feel Like They're Unsafe": Mobility Justice Photovoice as a Youth Advocacy Tool for Equitable Community Mobility.

Mobility is an often overlooked social determinant of health that broadly affects people of color's health. This study aimed to examine personal and community mobility challenges and opportunities among youth of color and partner to advance equitable community mobility. We conducted a community-based participatory research photovoice study using mobility justice principles from November 2020 to May 2021 with 10 youth of color from South Seattle, Washington. We conducted thematic content analysis of verbatim transcripts. Youth recommended infrastructure changes and free transit to facilitate safe, accessible mobility. Youth reported feeling vulnerable riding public transit alongside people experiencing mental health issues, while recognizing the dangers police can bring to people with mental health challenges and/or communities of color. They emphasized the importance of youth voice and intergenerational community discussions to inform policy making. We coorganized an online forum with youth to exchange ideas for advancing equitable mobility with their community and city leaders. Youth expressed feeling empowered and deepening dedication to mobility justice. Leaders should implement policy and infrastructure changes to enhance equitable mobility by incorporating youth and mobility justice principles in decision-making processes, pay youth for their time, employ facilitators of color, and offer technology support.

Review: System transformation to enhance transitional age youth mental health - a scoping review.

Youth mental health challenges are an emerging and persistent global public health issue despite efforts for improvement. As part of a broader social innovation study to transform youth mental health systems, this scoping review assesses interventions that aim for systems-level changes to improve the mental well-being of transitional age youth (TAY) (15-25 years) in high-income countries. The scoping review method of Arksey and O'Malley (International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8, 2005, 19) was used. Seven health and social service databases were utilized with study inclusion criteria applied. Titles and abstracts were screened by two independent reviewers, and four members of the research team were involved in the review and thematic analysis of selected studies. A total of 5652 peer-reviewed articles were screened at the title and abstract level, of which 65 were assessed in full for eligibility, and 29 were included for final analysis. The peer-reviewed articles and gray literature were based in seven different high-income countries and published between 2008 and 2019. Four major themes to support youth mental health were identified in the literature: (a) improving transitions from youth to adult mental healthcare services; (b) moving care from institutions to the community; (c) general empowerment of youth in society; and (d) youth voice within the system. Inconsistent or limited systems-level approaches to TAY mental health care were noted. There remains a need for innovative, evidence-based approaches to improve TAY mental health care.

The Benefits of Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Community-Engaged Research: Insights From a Study of Digital Storytelling With Marginalized Youth

This article draws on qualitative data from a long-term partnership to exemplify the unique advantages of interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches in community-engaged research. We demonstrate how the differing foci and intersecting concerns of our scholarly fields, social work and media studies, benefited our work with marginalized communities to promote youth voice through digital storytelling. This effort was grounded in the shared view that digital storytelling offers an excellent opportunity to engage creatively with young people’s memories and experiences and that such storytelling can support young people in their healing, identity formation, agency development, and engagement with the public. By working together across disciplines, we were able to surface and address concerns related to vulnerability, privacy, and advocacy among young people experiencing marginalization in ways that would not have been possible in a project involving only social work or media studies. We illustrate this process by describing three critical incidents that exposed our disciplinary overlaps and differences in ways that helped us navigate complex issues related to young people shared their stories with the public. Our findings therefore have implications for others working with vulnerable communities to amplify counternarratives with the goal of bringing about positive systemic change.

Pathways to Positive Youth Development in Malaysian Undergraduate Co-curricular Programs: A Moderated Mediation Model of Youth Voice and Psychological Hardiness.

Youth voice is gaining more attention globally as a core feature of program quality within positive youth development programs. Few studies have examined the relationship between youth voice and positive youth development in high power-distance cultures, however, where young people often face psychological barriers to exercising decision-making in their work with program adults. Research is needed on the psychological mechanisms that might help youth thrive within settings that are less structurally and psychologically supportive of youth voice. Drawing on bioecological systems and hardiness theories, this quantitative correlational study evaluates the moderating effect of psychological hardiness on the relationship between youth voice, the mediators of program safety and engagement, and the 6 C’s of positive youth development. A moderated mediation model was tested among 436 first-year undergraduate co-curricular program participants from public universities in Malaysia (M = 21.192 years, SD = 1.191 years; 65.6% female). Youth voice positively predicted positive youth development; the relationship was partially mediated by program engagement, but not safety. The mediated pathway through program engagement was more predictive for hardier youth. By combining programmatic and individual psychological factors into the hypothesized model, this research identifies the potential importance of hardiness on the practice of youth voice for young adults in high power distance cultures. The findings highlight the need to identify other individual and programmatic factors that may contribute to the development of positive youth development in diverse cultural settings.

Misguided and Modest: Reflections of Our Youth Voice Research.

In recent years, Physical Education (PE) has seen a growth in the commitment to youth voice research. This approach foregrounds the practice of researching with young people, rather than conducting research on or about them. Whilst we are cognisant of the many possibilities youth voice research offers, we are also concerned that there is a tendency to overlook the challenges of supporting youth voice activities. This paper draws on our collective reflections to bring to the fore some of the complexities we have encountered when attempting to engage in school-based youth voice research. We explore the following questions: How can youth voice research engage with different young people to capture a diversity of voices? What are the challenges of undertaking youth voice research? What are the possibilities of change through youth voice research? We consider these questions by drawing upon four principles of student voice work including communication as dialogue, participation and democratic inclusivity, unequal power relations, and change and transformation. We use these principles to critique our own research and, in doing so, draw on entries from our research diaries. The paper questions whether young people need help to share their insights and experiences about PE, or whether it is us - researchers, teachers and schools - who need help to more readily recognize and be attentive to young people's voices. We also point to the importance of recognizing modest change through youth voice research and the need to secure adult allies to support activities and potential outcomes. Engaging in youth voice research is an immersive and messy encounter that involves navigating a journey that is anything but straightforward. Even though this is the case, our moral and ethical compass continues to point us in this direction and we remain firm advocates of youth voice work. This paper offers a starting point for others to begin to grapple with the pitfalls and possibilities when supporting youth voice research.

“I Don’t Think Kids Nowadays Feel Like They Have a Lot of Power”: Exploring Teacher Civic Commitments in a National Online Letter Writing Project

This study investigates teacher participation in a national online youth civic letter writing project through the lens of teacher civic commitments. Drawing on in-depth interviews and survey data from teachers who participated in the Letters to the Next President 2.0 project, civic commitments are articulated through civic beliefs, learning goals, instructional enactments, and geopolitical context. With a generic shared belief in “youth voice,” teachers enacted the civic letter writing project through instructional activities that included (a) choice of topic, (b) publication, (c) reading letters from other youth, (d) research, (e) peer dialogue, and (f) connections beyond the Letters project. While beliefs appeared widely shared, divergence in learning goals and enactments led to distinct learning opportunities for students. With minimal research exploring the role of teachers in student civics learning, this study provides new insights to guide teacher preparation and ongoing teacher development in the realm of civics education.

Integrative review protocol for Indigenous youth participation in health equity promotion

IntroductionIndigenous youth participation in decision-making is internationally recognised as a pathway to promote health equity, decolonisation and social inclusion. Hearing Indigenous youth voices and actively involving them in decisions that...

Peering in: youth perspectives on Health Promoting Schools and youth engagement in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Health Promoting Schools (HPS) is a whole-school approach that shapes the conditions necessary to support student health and well-being. Youth engagement is recognized as key to HPS implementation, yet research related to the involvement of youth voice in school health promotion initiatives is limited. The purpose of this study was to understand youth perspectives on HPS and school youth engagement. Ten youth (grades 9–10, ages 14–16) were trained as peer researchers using a Youth Participatory Action Research approach. The peer researchers interviewed 23 of their peers (grades 7–10, ages 12–16) on perspectives related to HPS and school youth engagement. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and data were analysed using inductive ‘codebook’ thematic analysis. Themes related to a healthy school community were mapped onto the pillars of HPS: (i) Social and Physical Environment, (ii) Teaching and Learning, (iii) Partnerships and Services and (iv) School Policies. Participants placed more importance on the social and physical environment of the school including respect, inclusivity, supportive relationships and the design of spaces. Key factors for youth engagement were: (i) safe and supportive spaces, (ii) passion and interest, (iii) using their voice, (iv) power dynamics, (v) accessibility and (vi) awareness. With recognition that youth engagement is a crucial part of HPS, this work provides relevant and applicable information on areas of the healthy school community that are important to youth, and if/how they are meaningfully engaged in school decision-making.

Lessons Learned From “A Day for Youth Voices on the Opioid Overdose Crisis” and Future Directions for Research on the Youth Polysubstance Use Emergency in Canada

ABSTRACT Objectives: There is a lack of knowledge regarding how diverse young people (ages 15–25) experience opioid use, connect to opioid-related services, and navigate opioid use disorder. Knowledge is urgently needed to inform the development of prevention and treatment for youth. This article outlines a protocol for a pan-Canadian youth engagement summit and discusses the successes and challenges experienced and outlines suggestions for future engagement initiatives of this kind. Methods: The challenges and successes we present are premised on the results of a survey based on the Public and Patient Engagement Evaluation Tool administered to participating youth that consisted of closed-ended and open-ended questions and demographic data, as well as from feedback provided informally to the summit teams and team members’ reflections. Results: About 169 youth participated in the summit and represented diverse youth populations from 6 different provinces with varied experiences with opioid use. The majority of participants were women. N = 126 youth completed a feedback questionnaire. Most of the youth rated the event highly. Most youth felt they were able to express their views, that their views were heard, that a broad range of topics were discussed, and a broad range of viewpoints were represented. Most youth felt the event was a good use of their time and were satisfied. Youth were less confident that the summit would impact governmental policies and would be used by relevant stakeholders, including service providers. Summit successes included engagement, the provision of education/information and psychological support, normalization, and validation. Summit challenges related to time and timing of the event, content, and interaction(s). Conclusion: Our summit represented a unique pastiche of youth participation and engagement modalities. Going forward, we suggest that researchers and summit planners ensure youth are engaged in earlier stages of planning, that the content be responsive to a spectrum of youth knowledge about opioids (within site), incorporate flexibility with the formats of interaction, as well as potentially include other stakeholders to improve youth confidence that their feedback will have impacts beyond the summit activity. Objectifs: On accuse un manque de données pour comprendre la diversité des expériences relatives à l’usage d’opioïdes chez les jeunes de 15 à 25 ans, leur rapport aux services offerts et la façon dont ils composent avec leur usage d’opioïdes. Il est urgent d’obtenir de telles données pour élaborer des plans de prévention et de traitement pour les jeunes. Cet article propose un protocole pour la tenue d’un sommet pancanadien sur l’engagement des jeunes, aborde les réussites et les défis vécus et suggère d’autres projets d’engagement du même type. Méthodologie: Les défis et les réussites présentés reposent sur les résultats d’un sondage fondé sur la Boîte à outil d’évaluation de l’engagement des patients et du public, à laquelle ont été soumis les jeunes participants et qui était constituée d’un ensemble de questions fermées et ouvertes et de données démographiques, de même que sur les commentaires informels fournis aux équipes du sommet et les réflexions des membres de l’équipe. Résultats: Lors du sommet, 169 jeunes participants représentant diverses populations de 6 provinces aux expériences variées quant à l’usage d’opioïdes étaient présents. La majorité des participants étaient des femmes. Parmi eux, 126 jeunes ont rempli le questionnaire de rétroaction. La plupart des jeunes ont évalué le sommet positivement. La plupart ont senti qu’ils pouvaient exprimer leurs points de vue, que leur opinion était écoutée, qu’une grande variété de sujets ont été abordés, et qu’une grande diversité de points de vue étaient représentés. La plupart des jeunes étaient d’avis qu’il s’agissait d’un bon usage de leur temps et étaient satisfaits de l’événement. Les répondants avaient peu d’espoir que le sommet ait des retombées sur les politiques gouvernementales et qu’il soit utile aux intervenants tels que les fournisseurs de soins. Le sommet a été une réussite sur les plans de la participation, des renseignements et du soutien psychologique fournis, de la normalisation et de la validation. Le sommet pourrait être amélioré en ce qui concerne le moment et l’horaire de l’événement, son contenu et les interactions. Conclusion: Notre sommet a représenté un mélange unique de participation des jeunes et de modalités d’engagement. À l’avenir, nous suggérons que les chercheurs et les organisateurs du sommet assurent l’engagement des jeunes plus tôt dans le processus d’organisation, que le contenu soit adapté à l’éventail de connaissances des jeunes sur les opioïdes, qu’il y ait une flexibilité quant au format des interactions et que d’autre intervenants soient potentiellement inclus pour que les jeunes sentent que leurs commentaires auront une portée au-delà de l’événement.

Youth-identified Considerations for Programming to Support Newcomers’ Healthy Development: A Group Concept Mapping Study

BackgroundThere is a well-documented need for more responsive promotion and prevention programming for young immigrants and refugees in the context of mental health and healthy development. Incorporating the voice of newcomers in the development of promotion and prevention efforts could assist in producing culturally-relevant materials and improve program outcomes.ObjectiveOur goal was to utilize youth voice to identify considerations for developing programming to support newcomer youths’ healthy development.MethodsWe employed mixed methods and analyzed data using concept mapping. A total of 37 newcomers between the ages of 14 and 22 participated in focus groups to share their ideas for creating programming that would focus on relationships and well-being. Relevant responses were collated, cleaned, and generated into unique statements, and then sorted individually by 26 youth into thematically similar categories. We used multidimensional scaling and hierarchal cluster analysis to produce a concept map.ResultsSix concepts, in rank order of importance, emerged as follows: create a space for sharing; discuss relational issues; teach strategies for adjusting to a new country; teach wellness skills; have feel-good activities; and plan for diversity.ConclusionsParticipants’ lived experience and their own attendance in programming at newcomer organizations assisted them in brainstorming what types of activities, topics, and skills would be helpful for other newcomer youth, as well as considerations for facilitators implementing such programming. Promotion and prevention efforts intended for newcomer youth may benefit by incorporating ideas from the concept map.

Youth social innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines: a quantitative and qualitative descriptive analyses from a crowdsourcing open call and online hackathon

IntroductionYoung people have played a pivotal role as part of the COVID-19 response, including developing health messages and social innovations. Social innovation in health engages multiple stakeholders in linking social...

Youth voices from an informal settlement of Nairobi, Kenya: Engaging adolescent perspectives on violence to inform prevention

ABSTRACT We examined the experiences of violence and self-reported behavioural and community changes as a result of participation in a sexual assault prevention intervention in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. We conducted longitudinal qualitative in-depth interviews with 20 adolescent girls and 11 adolescent boys at baseline, 12, and 24 months. Analysis was thematic with two investigators coding and reaching consensus about the themes. Participants’ ages ranged from 10 to 13 at baseline; girls’ mean age was 11.9, boys’ mean age was 11.6. Participants reported experiencing high levels of violence at all stages of the study. Most reported feeling more empowered to protect themselves and others from sexual assault because of the intervention. While participants had mixed responses about change in sexual assault incidence, most perceived an improvement in inter-gender relationships after the intervention. Participants at midline and endline cited acquaintances and friends as potential perpetrators of sexual violence more often than at baseline and were more open to reporting violent incidents. The very young adolescents in this setting perceived that this sexual assault prevention intervention led to improvements in gender relations, adolescent girls’ empowerment and, recognition of harmful rape myths. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02771132.

Cycles of insecurities: Understanding the everyday politics of young Londoners

The concept of everyday insecurity was developed to explain people's lived experiences in the wake of 9/11 and 7/7 and the perceived threat of terrorism. This article develops the concept to investigate the everyday insecurities experienced by young Londoners in the wake of the financial crisis and climate crisis. We employ innovative youth-centred methods to explore the issues that shape the everyday lives of young people in the UK capital. Through narrative analysis we represent the voices of young Londoners, identifying the role of identity, emotion, the attribution of responsibility and sense of agency in their discussions. We find young Londoners' narratives are dominated by “cycles of insecurity”: interconnected problems of housing, crime and so on, from which some feel it is almost impossible to escape. This helps explain why lack of efficacy and a sense of agency is a particular problem for younger generations. These experiences are more relevant than ever in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting the urgent need to integrate youth voice into Covid-recovery, to allow cities to generate a more sustainable public policy.

“Immigration Knocks on the Door . . . We Are Stuck . . .”: A Multilevel Analysis of Undocumented Youth’s Experiences of Racism, System Failure, and Resistance in Policy and School Contexts

Background/Context: Undocumented youth navigate unwelcoming federal, state, and local contexts in the United States. Although previous research shows the significant impact of immigration policy and enforcement on educational outcomes and social-emotional well-being, this study sheds light on the multiple, intersecting policy, and school contexts that hinder social and educational mobility. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to elicit Latinx undocumented immigrant youth experiences in a southern state to contribute to evolving research on their experiences in K-12 schools. In addition, the purpose was to understand how undocumented youth (a) talk about the policies that impact their daily lives, (b) perceive the organizational-level structures that exist to support them in school and community contexts, and (c) articulate a sense of belonging through their community and school interactions in relation to processes of racialization and its impact on immigration status. Conceptually, the paper uses a multilevel, interactional framework to show the impact of racialization of Latinx undocumented immigrants in policy, school, and community, and relational contexts. Research Design: The study is a 3-year critical ethnography of two Title I high schools in the U.S. South that maintains particularly restrictive policies toward immigrants. Fieldwork from two school sites and interviews with 63 undocumented youth, and relevant personnel deepen our understanding of their status of illegality—specifically how their material lives are impacted by policy and institutional-level dynamics and constraints. Conclusions/Recommendations: The author shows how youth voice through ethnographic evidence counteracts anti-immigrant policies and criminalization of Latinx immigrants; youth critique social policy and institutions that seek to limit their progress in society. The implications for policymakers, educators, and school-based personnel is significant Although legal status may impose certain limitations on undocumented students’ educational opportunities, their educational trajectories are still highly determined by school structures. Knowing this, educators can respond effectively to ensure educational rights and equitable educational practice.

A Voices-Centered Approach to Transitional Justice: Youth-led Activism and Artistic Initiatives Open Spaces for Broad Community Engagement

ABSTRACT In response to a global movement demanding justice for historically oppressed communities, there are increased calls for transitional justice approaches to help unravel legacies of colonization, slavery and marginalization. Applying transitional justice approaches to contexts of structural injustice raises new questions that push the boundaries of the field. In the face of these challenges, this article explores ways to conceptualize transitional justice as a dynamic, ongoing relational process that centers victims and involves bystanders, beneficiaries and the general public in meaningful and appropriate ways. Across different socio-political contexts, we look to new voices, in particular youth voices and creative approaches, for inspiration on how to bring more people into the conversation to address emerging dilemmas in consolidated democracies. Much can be learned from the dynamic spaces created by young people to encourage a more transformational process of reckoning with past legacies to advance a more just future.

Roma Cultural Influencers: Social Media for Identity Formation

In the ‘Societies and Lifestyles’ project, 2006-2009, 10 post-communist countries analysed values of so-called fringers: small ethnic groups living on the fringes of society. One of them, the Hungarian Roma appeared to have a rich cultural heritage that had been exploited without its integration into an authentic and empowering cultural presence. (Forray & Beck, 2008). Roma heritage, representing about 10 % of Hungarian population, is not exhibited permanently, rarely appear in social media and isn’t recognised even by the socially challenged Roma community. Stakeholder meetings indicate that educational poverty is more threatening for youth than financial needs: it is cultural immersion is needed to build healthy identity. As part of the HORIZON2020 AMASS - Acting on the margins – Arts as social sculpture research project, we developed a training and mentoring program for aspiring Roma cultural influencers. We assumed that social media can be an agent to fight educational poverty and can be used as an arts-based intervention to promote the development of socially challenged youth. Influencers of the Roma community, predominantly male, focus on celebrities and scandals or raise their voice against negative prejudices. Their attitudes do not encourage majority youth to read their messages. Our young Roma girl influencers show cultural values of Roma heritage in witty, youthful voice that is convincing and popular. This paper presents their emergence and shows their unique voices. After two semesters of training in Roma culture, media skills, legal regulations, and online journalism, nineteen girls have successfully established themselves in social media. When disadvantaged minorities try to raise their voices, the response is often characterised as hostile and biased (Glucksman, 2017). We identified psychological traits needed for successful cultural media presence through pre- and post-course measurement. Our training program enhanced skills in all areas with digital competence showing the greatest improvement. The process-folios (documentation of growth during training, cf. Gardner, 1999) showed increased self-assurance and commitment to Roma roots. Those who opted out of the course were threatened by the aggressive tone of social media and / or found regular presence irreconcilable with daily duties (Kárpáti and Somogyi-Rohonczy, 2021). We analysed the social media iconography (Drainville, 2018) of the Roma on Instagram and TikTok in Hungary and on the international scene and identified the scarcity of authentic cultural content. Through cultural immersion, they appropriated ancient motives and symbols that often-assumed new meaning. Not hiding gloomy reality, their intention was to show beauty in their environment and highlight cultural achievements and personal growth against all the odds. The Hungarian Roma Cultural Influencers are not only content providers – they are role models also for their communities.

The Imperatives of Voice and Context in the Preparation of Community Teachers: Conceptualizing Learning-To-Teach Cycles

In this conceptual/theoretical paper, we present an argument about the importance of preparing community teachers, articulating tenets of youth voice, community voice, and context in this undertaking. We operationalize these tenets by proposing a Learning-to-Teach Cycle as an organizing structure for teacher candidates to encounter across their programs through four interrelated elements-- observing; identifying; reflecting/synthesizing; and designing/implementing--that center and leverage community issues, knowledge, and voice. This approach is urgently needed in urban contexts amid increasingly porous boundaries between schools and broader communities, and in recognition of youth and communities as sources of knowledge integral to the preparation of teachers.

A Qualitative Meta-Study of Youth Voice and Co-Participatory Research Practices: Informing Cyber/Bullying Research Methodologies

Youth voice is acknowledged as being critical for any investigation into children and young people’s (CYP) lived experiences but is particularly important for the field of cyberbullying (Cb), where technology and social media have transformed traditional bullying into behaviors which operate across both online and offline settings. The significant social and economic costs of both cyber and traditional bullying (C/B) to CYP’s health, wellbeing, academic achievement, relationships, and quality of life are well documented quantitatively, however qualitative studies, which capture the voice of the individual, and lived reality of the social contexts and experiences, remain limited. This paper presents one of the first qualitative meta-studies in this research area and models the feasibility and potentiality of this methodological approach to: (1) facilitate the synthesis of discrete qualitative studies concerning youth voice and co-participatory research practices, and (2) subsequently inform and extend methodological knowledge in the cyber/bullying (C/B) and youth wellbeing domains. The convergences/differences, ethical considerations, enablers, challenges, affordances, and limitations of five of the authors’ studies concerned with youth voice and co-participatory research methodologies are analyzed and synthesized to create new collective meanings and understandings. In doing so, this paper demonstrates a transdisciplinary and transformative approach: where new knowledge and unity of understanding is created which extends beyond each unique study and the discipline and domain in which it is situated. Findings from the meta-study indicate that providing youth with opportunities to shape research at all stages can empower them to design authentic preventative approaches directly relevant to their context and experiences, whilst simultaneously developing critical research and inquiry skills. This paper highlights the imperative for researchers to empower CYP as co-researchers and embrace them as change partners, simultaneously acknowledging the challenges this presents, including the shift in power of the researcher’s role which occurs. It also provides a warrant for employing meta-study approaches to discrete qualitative studies to inform and extend broader research and methodological agendas.