TY - JOUR
T1 - Development of a Youth Civic Engagement Program
T2 - Process and Pilot Testing with a Youth-Partnered Research Team
AU - Alegría, Margarita
AU - Alvarez, Kiara
AU - NeMoyer, Amanda
AU - Zhen-Duan, Jenny
AU - Marsico, Christine
AU - O’Malley, Isabel Shaheen
AU - Mukthineni, Ravali
AU - Porteny, Thalia
AU - Herrera, Carolina Nicole
AU - Najarro Cermeño, Jesse
AU - Kingston, Kyle
AU - Sisay, Emnet
AU - Trickett, Edison
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Society for Community Research and Action
PY - 2022/3
Y1 - 2022/3
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Civic engagement
KW - Intervention development
KW - LEAP
KW - Neighborhood
KW - Well-being
KW - Youth co-creation
KW - Youth of color
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85111761827&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/ajcp.12548
DO - 10.1002/ajcp.12548
M3 - Article
C2 - 34350588
AN - SCOPUS:85111761827
SN - 0091-0562
VL - 69
SP - 86
EP - 99
JO - American Journal of Community Psychology
JF - American Journal of Community Psychology
IS - 1-2
ER -