YPAR (Youth-led Participatory Action Research) is an innovative approach to positive youth and community development based in social justice principles in which young people are trained to conduct systematic research to improve their lives, their communities, and the institutions intended to serve them.
Redefine who has the expertise to produce knowledge to our world — not just professional adult researchers but young people who are living the issues they are studying.
Provide skills in inquiry, evidence, and presentation that are important to young people’s development as students and agents of positive change in schools and communities.
Generate findings that provides insights into issues faced by young people that they themselves experience, as well as the resources that matter in helping solve those issues.
Promote young people’s sociopolitical development and psychological empowerment such that they understand the roots of problems facing their communities and have the skills and motivation to take action.
Evaluate programs, policies, and practices that affect young people.
Before you pick a topic. Before you go out in the field to collect data. Before you change the world. First, you need to understand the dynamics of YPAR and youth and adults working together.
In order to change the world, you have to be able to figure out what problem you’d like to investigate. Our lessons help you figure out how to define the issue.
Once you know what you want to change, then you need to go out and collect and analyze more information about this issue. Our lessons give you the tools to investigate your issue and solutions.
With a clear understanding of the issue, equipped with lots of data, you are then armed to change the world. Our lessons help you figure out the best course of action to help solve the problem.
Not sure where to start? Not sure that YPAR is right for you? Check out some of the ways that others have used the YPAR approach to inspire you.