“I Learned That We Matter” - Reflections on Strategies to Engage Formerly Homeless Young Adults in Youth Participatory Action Research

Growing evidence highlights the benefits of Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), a youth-centered form of Community-Based Participatory Research that aims to empower youth in schools and community-based settings. Less has been written, however, about strategies to engage marginally housed you...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of adolescent health 2017-02, Vol.60 (2), p.S29-S30
Main Authors: Johnson, Kelly C., MPH, Drew, Corey, MPH, Lin, Jessica, MPH, Dobbins, Sarah, MPH, Ozer, Emily, PhD, Auerswald, Colette, MD, FSAHM
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advocacy
Benefits
Cameras
Challenges
Child care
Community based action research
Community organizations
Community research
Definitions
Economic history
Ethics
Food security
Frame analysis
Group work
Health status
Healthy food
Homeless people
Housing
Interpersonal conflict
Job insecurity
Marginality
Media coverage
Mental health
Narratives
Nutrition
Participation
Participatory action research
Pediatrics
Photography
Public schools
Research methodology
Residents
Self-efficacy
Strategies
Training
Trauma
Work skills
Young adults
Youth
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Growing evidence highlights the benefits of Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), a youth-centered form of Community-Based Participatory Research that aims to empower youth in schools and community-based settings. Less has been written, however, about strategies to engage marginally housed young adults in YPAR. especially those who face multiple challenges that can impede participation, such as financial instability, history of trauma, mental and physical health challenges and food insecurity. Photovoice is a research methodology that combines photography and group discussion in order to amplify the voices and visions of marginalized communities. The Young Adult Photovoice Project (YAPP) was a YPAR study designed to assess, document. and disseminate an understanding of the barriers to obtaining adequate nutrition faced by formerly homeless young adults living in permanent supportive housing in San Francisco. Nine young adult residents between the ages of 18-25 participated in YAPP. The project consisted of eleven 2.5-hour long sessions over a period of four months. Study participants were given digital cameras and received training in photography as well as in the safety and ethics of taking pictures. Each week participants chose a prompt to guide their photo taking, and participated in critical reflection and dialogue around their photos. Participants subsequently created captions and wrote narratives for their photographs. The project culminated in a photography exhibit in downtown San Francisco, with media coverage. Following project completion, a qualitative evaluation was conducted to explore the perceived benefits for YAPP participants, as well as the facilitators and challenges to participant engagement. Triangulated data were collected for the evaluation, including participant interviews, field notes and team debrief minutes. Semi-structured participant interviews were conducted, audio recorded and transcribed. Data were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Benefits from YAPP participation included: increased ability/comfort with group work; increased self-confidence in creative expression and public speaking; improved photography skills; improved ability to give and receive constructive criticism; increased perceived self-efficacy in completing a project from start to finish; and an increased sense of self-worth. Study strategies that facilitated participant engagement included: being flexible and making provisions to accommodate part
ISSN:1054-139X
1879-1972
DOI:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.10.075