A three-year partnership between UC Santa Cruz and United Way to empower young change-makers is wrapping up this spring, with youth leaders from across Santa Cruz County preparing to distribute resource kits for local immigrants. It’s the final step in a long journey of organizing, research, and action intended to bring about positive social change.
The project is an example of youth participatory action research (YPAR), a model where professional researchers and local youth co-develop efforts to answer questions that matter to the community. In the process, youth participants learn new research and leadership skills and apply the findings of their research to address local needs.
The team decided on their research topic and methods and collected data over the course of the 2022-2023 academic year. The students chose to focus on mental health, in connection with United Way’s Jóvenes Sanos initiative, and they named their project Alzamoz la Voz, or “raising our voices”. Psychology Professor Regina Langhout, who advised students through the research development stage, said the youth had an expansive understanding of mental health.
Read more at News.UCSC.edu.
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