Home > Research > Youth Voices
Youth are integrally involved in all stages of TeenNet project design,
development, implementation, and evaluation. TeenNet’s youth involvement
mechanisms include focus groups, working groups, work placements, employed
positions, advisory groups, quality review groups, youth forums, reality
checks and evaluations.
TeenNet also researches models for youth engagement through our Global
Youth Voices (GYV) project. Global Youth Voices uses low-end technologies
(art, video, photography) and high-end Internet-based technologies to
engage youth in issue identification and community action.
Since 2001, the Global Youth Voices project has worked with six Toronto community youth organizations. Some of the projects include: Regent Park Focus youth’s ePresentation on violence and “toughness”, Beat the Street youth’s article series with Young People’s Press and a ‘zine’ on stereotypes towards street-involved youth; Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre youth’s Popular Theatre play on tobacco and decision making; and TeenNet Youth Advisor’s Smoke Free World, a website and workshop about globalization and the tobacco industry.
Youth Voices and community partners also work to create research and evaluation methods: Process: Survey and focus groups conducted at each stage of EIPARS process. Outcome: Youth participants used Participatory Action Research methods to capture overall project learnings. Impact Evaluation: Each youth group developed feedback surveys for their audiences.
Internationally, Global Youth Voices facilitated online discussions between disadvantaged, street-involved youth from Nairobi, Kenya and Toronto youth. The youth shared experiences and concerns, and discussed ways to address some of the problems they face. We have found the ability to connect with youth from diverse cultures promotes a high level of engagement and empowerment for the young people involved in the project.
Most recently, GYV has been developing international partnerships to explore the use of the Youth Voices EIPARS model in a global context. One such project was: Youth Voices-Engaging Bedouin Youth in Community Health Promotion, conducted in Israel. TeenNet is also currently developing partnerships with academic and/or health organizations in Brazil, China and Jordan. We are also using our learnings to develop and publish a GYV EIPARS guide for use by youth workers. We are also continuing to build international project partners and looking for ways to disseminate our learnings.
Principal Investigator: Harvey Skinner
Co-investigator: Blake Poland
Partners: Beat the Street, Supporting our Youth (SOY), Regent Park Focus, Davenport-Perth
Neighbourhood Centre, St. Stephen's Community House, Guelph International
Resource Centre, VIPS Health Services, JamiiBora Trust
Funders: Wellesley Central Health Organization, the Government of Ontario
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