Community-engaged research with youth: What’s in it for them?

This blog is authored by Youth.hood Ambassadors Megan Moy and Emily Eng, and SFU Faculty of Health Sciences PhD Candidate Meridith Sones.

South Vancouver encompasses the most racially diverse and culturally rich neighbourhoods in all of Vancouver. It’s also home to about a quarter of the city’s youth (and coincidentally, some great bubble tea shops). But when it comes to the provision of social infrastructure—programs and places that support social connection and wellbeing—the evidence is pretty clear: South Vancouver neighbourhoods aren’t getting their fair share of city resources.

In response to these inequities, our research team partnered with the South Vancouver Neighbourhood House (SVNH) to launch Youth.hood, a community-engaged research project exploring how neighbourhood environments impact social connectedness for youth in under-resourced communities like South Vancouver. The project brought together researchers from SFU Health Sciences and Urban Studies, and a collection of phenomenal partners. But the real brains behind the operation were over 40 youth from across South Vancouver who joined the project as community scientists. During our journey together, these youth mapped and analyzed over 200 features in their neighbourhoods that help or hinder their social connection, prioritized issues that matter most, designed solutions for neighbourhood improvement, and voiced their calls to action all the way to City Hall. They worked HARD, and it paid off. In June 2023, after a colossal community advocacy effort led by SVNH, Vancouver City Council approved a motion to address ongoing social infrastructure inequities facing South Vancouver residents.

Throughout this journey, we witnessed how community-engaged research can be transformative both for the community, and the participants themselves. Below, two Youth.hood community scientists—Emily and Megan—reflect on what they gained from the experience.

1. When you first joined Youth.hood, you were still in high school, busy with homework and extra-curricular stuff—and let’s not forget—living through a global pandemic. You were already juggling a lot. What inspired you to give your time and energy to the project?

Emily: Growing up in South Vancouver, I wanted to voice my opinion on how social infrastructure affects my daily life, and my friends and family. Youth.hood was also a wonderful opportunity to gain some research skills. I was intrigued by the idea of becoming a youth scientist who studies areas of social connection and disconnection…it gave me a sense of curiosity.

Megan: I initially heard about Youth.hood through my local youth council. I thought it was going to be a fun and short activity, but the project felt personal and budded a passion within me to explore and improve connectedness in my community even more. Regardless of how busy my high school schedule was with student council, clubs, and multiple sports, I stuck with the Youth.hood project because it revealed what I was capable of when I truly cared about something.

2. Your participation started with simply collecting data in your neighbourhood. A year later, you were standing up to speak in the City of Vancouver’s council chamber on behalf of your community, calling for change. It’s been a wild ride! What did you get out of the whole experience? How did it impact you?

Emily: Speaking to Council for the first time was terrifying! But also extremely rewarding. Forming and practicing my speech to convey my case eloquently was a big part of my experience and an amazing opportunity to refine my public speaking skills. Although I was nervous, I don’t regret the experience. I got to speak passionately about my city and what matters most to us, as a marginalized community in Vancouver.

Megan: I was definitely excited to see Youth.hood extend its advocacy to City Hall. I grew to understand the small, everyday spaces and places South Vancouver valued and needed. By working with my peers, fellow community members and change-makers, and a mentor like Meridith, Youth.hood offered a rare chance to really talk about our own lives in tandem to the society we live in. I was able to work on my collaboration skills, public speaking, and strive for goals outside my comfort zone. Youth.hood inspired me to undertake a degree in geography with a view towards becoming an urban planner. Overall, the whole experience cemented a strong passion within me for social justice…to uplift and implement positive change for my community.

3. If you had to sum up your experience in Youth.hood in a single word, what would it be?

Emily: Fun! Youth.hood brought me so much joy.

Megan: Unbounded. From the start, Youth.hood felt like a blank canvas handed to the youth of South Van. After building a solid foundation, the project kept growing and evolving….driven by the research and passion of its participants.

4. For close to two years, you were both involved in every phase of the project, from data collection through to analysis and knowledge mobilization. What kept you coming back? Did any aspects of your experience ever feel hard or challenging?

Emily: My favorite part was our first speech together at the South Vancouver Neighbourhood House, to the community and city officials. That experience strengthened my resolve to keep pushing forward until South Vancouver's needs were met. It was energizing to speak in front of people and be heard, and I knew how important this initiative was for youth in South Van. This is what motivated me to keep going. It was the desire to speak for my community…to speak for those who do not have the means or a voice. The most challenging part of Youth.hood was the ultimate step of speaking in front of City Council and having to navigate the unwritten rules of the meeting and recite a speech in front of people of power.

Megan: I loved the first day of data collection when I explored my neighbourhood with my partner Lucas on my skateboard. The project has come so far—it's still astonishing to see how our work has grown and evolved, like a snowball gathering momentum down a hill. The tangible progress and impacts we achieved fuelled my excitement and made me feel that our efforts truly made a difference. In terms of challenges, I found crafting a concise speech for City council to be the biggest hurdle…having to distill everything I learned and cared about into two minutes, and choose the most crucial points to advocate for.

5. Participating in research and advocacy is easier said than done for some groups. Often those most impacted by community issues are the least able to get involved because of limited time, language barriers, or other obstacles. How can we make it easier for youth and other under-represented groups to participate in research?

Emily: I think its easiest to reach youth through word of mouth and sharing research opportunities locally through places like schools, libraries, neighbourhood organizations, and community centres. This could be through posters, newsletters, or social media is a great tool to reach diverse groups of people. Sometimes youth and other under-represented groups have a fear of speaking out, so allowing people to share their input anonymously might attract more participants. Also, Youth.hood reimbursed us on an hourly basis for the time we spent participating in the study, which was quite successful in attracting people. Overall, participating needs to be accessible and viable for youth and marginalized people.

Megan: I think prioritizing accessibility and providing meaningful incentives really helps. While monetary rewards can attract interest, it’s also important to make the research process enjoyable and fulfilling. For example, contributing to research in your very own neighbourhoods, like in Youth.hood, can make the experience feel more relevant and accessible. Additionally, to reach under-represented groups, opportunities should be adaptable to participant’s needs. For example, offering online participation options or transportation for people who need support can eliminate logistical barriers, ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to participate.