Development of a Youth Civic Engagement Program: Process and Pilot Testing with a Youth-Partnered Research Team

Margarita Alegría, Kiara Alvarez, Amanda NeMoyer, Jenny Zhen-Duan, Christine Marsico, Isabel Shaheen O’Malley, Ravali Mukthineni, Thalia Porteny, Carolina Nicole Herrera, Jesse Najarro Cermeño, Kyle Kingston, Emnet Sisay, Edison Trickett

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Although research suggests neighborhood-level factors influence youth well-being, few studies include youth when creating interventions to address these factors. We describe our three-step process of collaborating with youth in low-income communities to develop an intervention focused on civic engagement as a means to address neighborhood-level problems impacting their well-being. In the first step, we analyzed qualitative interviews from a project in which youth shared perceptions about their neighborhoods (e.g., interpersonal relations with neighbors and institutions). Three major themes were identified: pride in youth’s communities, desire for change, and perceptions of power and responsibility. Based on these themes, we completed the second step: developing a civic engagement and leadership program, called LEAP, aimed at helping youth take an active role in addressing neighborhood problems. In the third step, we collaborated with youth who completed a pilot version of the civic program and provided feedback to finalize it for large-scale testing. While discussing our process, we highlight the importance of including youth voices when developing programs that affect them. Furthermore, we note the need for more research exploring whether civic engagement serves as a mechanism for encouraging youth involvement in addressing neighborhood-level health disparities and identifying potential psychological costs of such involvement.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)86-99
Number of pages14
JournalAmerican Journal of Community Psychology
Volume69
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Civic engagement
  • Intervention development
  • LEAP
  • Neighborhood
  • Well-being
  • Youth co-creation
  • Youth of color

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Applied Psychology

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