Tips for Engaging Youth in Research
A publication of the Local Data for Equitable Recovery Resource Hub
Youth are an untapped source of knowledge and of energy for change in our communities. Supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, three locally focused research organizations — Community Information Now, DataWorks NC, and the Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University — have partnered with young people in their communities to uncover community needs and implement responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Below are five pieces of advice they shared, gleaned during the early stages of these projects.
• Work with established youth-focused organizations.
Organizations that do not have experience working with youth or networks of young people should partner with youth-focused organizations, which can help make connections and steer requests and activities to appeal to young people. For example, the Institute for Housing Studies partnered with Communities United to recruit youth for their steering committee, and staff at Communities United are helping shape learning activities for the committee around types and sources of data.
• Invest in the next generation.
Youth-engaged projects should benefit youth, not just research organizations. John Killeen of DataWorks NC said a main goal of their project is to spark excitement about actionable data in their interns and build their capacity as future researchers. Moreover, the goal of the partnership between Community Information Now and MOVE Texas in San Antonio is to equip youth with skills to engage their local, state, and federal representatives with data about the pandemic. Organizations should ensure that their projects compensate their young partners fairly for their efforts and assist them in developing skills to collect data and sharing their findings with their communities.
• Find common interests.
Youth have their own passions and concerns. In Durham, North Carolina, the DataWorks NC interns focus on topics they were already excited about: addressing homelessness and evictions. The organization’s intern from Hillside High School is continuing research she started as a school project.
• Working with youth takes patience, flexibility, and reasonable expectations.
Young people are busy, too. They are juggling responsibilities and passions that may include school, sports, employment, and family obligations. It is important for organizations to have reasonable expectations and to accommodate any requests around their other commitments. For example, Community Information Now, which is working with MOVE Texas and the youth involved in its programming in San Antonio, shifted the timeline of its youth-driven survey efforts to accommodate the voter registration drive the youth were running. After the voter registration deadline, the youth could focus more fully on the survey.
• Make it fun and interactive!
Organizations should keep in mind that young participants are giving their own time to work with them, and that the experience can be made fun and enjoyable. The Institute for Housing Studies made a learning game about data types and housing information, and youth researchers in Durham and San Antonio are making podcasts and videos to disseminate their findings.
Learn more about these three COVID-19 response projects here.
We thank John Killeen of DataWorks NC, Laura McKieran from Community Information: Now, and Geoff Smith of DePaul University’s Institute for Housing Studies for their contributions to this blog. The three organizations are grantees of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s “Engaging Youth with Data for COVID-19 Response and Recovery” program and members of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, coordinated by the Urban Institute.
