Youth
Strategy Project 2009
The Data Center presents…
Youth Knowledge for the People
An Intensive Training Camp on Social
Justice Youth-led Research
…with Youth in Focus
A look back…
On March 7th, 2009, youth organizers from a variety of organizations
in the East Bay and San Francisco united at the Madison
Park Apartments Community Room in Oakland with the desire
to learn more about the range of methods that can be used
to document the realities lived by people in their day to
day life in order to produce data that will actually reflect
the truth as they know it. The main objective of the day
was to instill a heightened sense of familiarity and confidence
in these impassioned organizers in order for them to approach
research as a strategic tool used to empower their voices
and bring real change to their communities.
Educating organizers about Participatory
Action Research (PAR) was the primary goal of the day. PAR
is a method by which researchers and the community in which
they are studying work together to identify the best way
to go about a problem and make sure that the results of
the research make a difference. As a way to learn about
the different methods used in participatory action research,
Youth in Focus arranged a series of interactive games. In
an activity titled, “Round Robin,” participants
were divided into small groups and led to different stations,
each a different method of collecting data. It’s important
to come face to face with each technique, sorting through
the pros and cons, in order to build ones knowledge of how
the research method actually works. The Data Center presented
the group with a “research planning scenario”
activity that allowed participants to think about strategic
approaches to issues in their community. This exercise gave
youth participants the opportunity to talk out the ways
in which to go about designing uses of information depending
on various factors such as one’s constituency, ally
base, media coverage, and specified target.
The activities of the day were
received very well but what I was most excited about was
seeing such young and inspiring faces at this event. I was
even more thrilled when I overheard youth organizers telling
others about their organization, the type of campaigns they
have been working on, and how research could strengthen
their action. The exchange of admiration as well as advice
between the participants was the most rewarding thing to
observe. When you connect with other organizers at events
such as this and truly communicate a message that equips
them with the concrete tools and motivation necessary for
change, confidence and inspiration in the movement flourishes.
At the end of the day, participants
were glad to meet new inspiring faces and learn the stepping-stones
to research. They commented that this research camp is a
crucial resource needed to expose youth organizers to the
different strategic techniques used for social change. However,
exposure to these techniques is just the first step. Youth
also expressed their interest in a more technical follow
up training in order to master these research strategies
and make a real impact on their organization as well as
their community.
By: Sylvia Aguiñaga, Data Center Intern
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