Youth engagement openings in research and evaluation at a glance
Co-evaluation and co-research with young people strengthens the research process, increasing relevance, ownership and collective action.
Indicators of success:
Youth can play important roles as co-evaluators and co-researchers. Supported to acquire the skills to participate meaningfully, young people can strengthen the research process, increase relevance, ownership and collective action.
Youth work as co-evaluators
Participatory evaluation helps agencies and communities determine how well projects apply resources, meet outcomes and influence target audiences. For more on how youth can be engaged in the evaluation process, check out the Monitor and co-evaluate section.
Youth are engaged as co-researchers
Youth-centered participatory action research (PAR) engages young people as co-researchers to identify and define issues or questions of interest, collect and analyze data and take social action. Working with young people as co-researchers rather than “subjects” strengthens the research process 1. Here’s how:
- Young people can get responses from their peers in ways that adult researchers cannot due to power and generational issues.
- Research is informed by unique perspectives of youth; young people are in the best position to provide insight into a social problem that affects them personally.
- Analysis and interpretation of data are informed by youth who are experts in local youth culture so that the evaluation is grounded in its context.
- The experience of youth participating as co-researchers leads to important positive outcomes for youth and fosters positive development 1,2,3,4,5,6,7.