Facilitating Participatory Processes that Amplify Youth Voice and Action in Clinical Care Delivery and Research

With increased focus on positive youth development and adolescent-centered care, participatory processes that amplify youth voice in clinical care delivery and research are increasingly important. Youth participatory action research (YPAR) – where youth co-lead and conduct research aimed at identifying youth-centered policy, practice, and system change – may be applied across multiple settings and projects including youth leadership boards, youth-driven public health campaigns, and clinic quality improvement processes. This chapter will present examples of YPAR activities in multiple arenas, discuss resources and approaches to supporting youth participation in research or evaluation, and identify processes that support uptake of youth priorities into policy, practice, and system change. YPAR harnesses the creative power of youth to generate substantive change to the organizations built to serve them.