Empowerment as Prevention: How Youth-Driven Initiatives Transform Frameworks for Change
Youth-led action research has significantly influenced local and statewide policies aimed at supporting students experiencing homelessness in California. This study employs a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methodology, summarizing five years of research conducted by high school student c...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-02-01
|
| Series: | Youth |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-995X/5/1/17 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850087746985525248 |
|---|---|
| author | Deborah McKoy Ruby Kosewicz-Strickland Pixie Popplewell |
| author_facet | Deborah McKoy Ruby Kosewicz-Strickland Pixie Popplewell |
| author_sort | Deborah McKoy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Youth-led action research has significantly influenced local and statewide policies aimed at supporting students experiencing homelessness in California. This study employs a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methodology, summarizing five years of research conducted by high school student cohorts and UC Berkeley graduate students to examine effective strategies for preventing and addressing student homelessness. The research engaged over 260 high school students, nine graduate research fellows, 31 university student mentors, and eight civic and community organizations through data collection, policy analysis, and stakeholder collaboration. Findings indicate that youth-led research strengthens alignment mechanisms, enhances cross-sector collaboration, and improves policy coordination, leading to more effective services and positive educational experiences for students experiencing homelessness. These results underscore the transformative role of youth-driven inquiry in shaping inclusive, evidence-based policies, and demonstrate the need for sustained youth engagement in policymaking to create long-term, systemic change. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4cd0c03c74084093bc44daa44983bca5 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2673-995X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Youth |
| spelling | doaj-art-4cd0c03c74084093bc44daa44983bca52025-08-20T02:43:10ZengMDPI AGYouth2673-995X2025-02-01511710.3390/youth5010017Empowerment as Prevention: How Youth-Driven Initiatives Transform Frameworks for ChangeDeborah McKoy0Ruby Kosewicz-Strickland1Pixie Popplewell2Department of City and Regional Planning, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USACenter for Cities + Schools, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USACalifornia Homeless Youth Project, California Research Bureau, Sacramento, CA 95814, USAYouth-led action research has significantly influenced local and statewide policies aimed at supporting students experiencing homelessness in California. This study employs a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methodology, summarizing five years of research conducted by high school student cohorts and UC Berkeley graduate students to examine effective strategies for preventing and addressing student homelessness. The research engaged over 260 high school students, nine graduate research fellows, 31 university student mentors, and eight civic and community organizations through data collection, policy analysis, and stakeholder collaboration. Findings indicate that youth-led research strengthens alignment mechanisms, enhances cross-sector collaboration, and improves policy coordination, leading to more effective services and positive educational experiences for students experiencing homelessness. These results underscore the transformative role of youth-driven inquiry in shaping inclusive, evidence-based policies, and demonstrate the need for sustained youth engagement in policymaking to create long-term, systemic change.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-995X/5/1/17youth homelessnesscity planningpublic schools and communitystudents experiencing homelessnessYPARYouth Participatory Action Research |
| spellingShingle | Deborah McKoy Ruby Kosewicz-Strickland Pixie Popplewell Empowerment as Prevention: How Youth-Driven Initiatives Transform Frameworks for Change Youth youth homelessness city planning public schools and community students experiencing homelessness YPAR Youth Participatory Action Research |
| title | Empowerment as Prevention: How Youth-Driven Initiatives Transform Frameworks for Change |
| title_full | Empowerment as Prevention: How Youth-Driven Initiatives Transform Frameworks for Change |
| title_fullStr | Empowerment as Prevention: How Youth-Driven Initiatives Transform Frameworks for Change |
| title_full_unstemmed | Empowerment as Prevention: How Youth-Driven Initiatives Transform Frameworks for Change |
| title_short | Empowerment as Prevention: How Youth-Driven Initiatives Transform Frameworks for Change |
| title_sort | empowerment as prevention how youth driven initiatives transform frameworks for change |
| topic | youth homelessness city planning public schools and community students experiencing homelessness YPAR Youth Participatory Action Research |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-995X/5/1/17 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT deborahmckoy empowermentaspreventionhowyouthdriveninitiativestransformframeworksforchange AT rubykosewiczstrickland empowermentaspreventionhowyouthdriveninitiativestransformframeworksforchange AT pixiepopplewell empowermentaspreventionhowyouthdriveninitiativestransformframeworksforchange |