This page describes how we collaborated with YEP research group members to design our study on authentic youth engagement in the policy process. While some research components and activities were established with the funding partner before research group members were involved, we made it clear to both the funder and research group members that there was flexibility and we wanted to center the experiences and expertise of our research group.
Develop research questions
Child Trends developed the research questions for this project during the proposal writing process, guided by our understanding of the funding partner’s priorities and the need to align the project with the available funding. Based on identified gaps in existing research, we developed the following research questions:
- How have youth been engaged by grantees to develop, advocate for, and/or implement policy change?
- What local contextual factors support, or pose challenges for, youth engagement in policy advocacy?
- What organizational conditions support, or limit, youth engagement in policy advocacy?
- How has engaging youth influenced grantee policy advocacy and outcomes?
We made sure to review and receive feedback on the research questions through facilitated discussion and activities with research group members. This resulted in revisions to the research questions:
- How have Hilton Foundation’s grantees engaged youth to develop, advocate for, and/or implement policy change?
- What are local contextual factors that help or hinder youth engagement in policy advocacy? How have these local factors influenced youth engagement in policy advocacy?
- What conditions, within individual Hilton Foundation grantee organizations, help or hinder youth engagement in policy advocacy? How have these conditions influenced youth engagement in policy advocacy?
- How has engaging youth influenced Hilton Foundation grantee organizations’ policy advocacy and outcomes?
Example facilitation guides
- YEP Meeting 2 - Full Group Facilitation Guide– This facilitation guide highlights how we led small group discussion to gather research group feedback about the initial research questions.
- YEP Meeting 2 - Full Group Slides – The slides to accompany the research question feedback discussion.
- YEP Meeting 3 - Full Group Facilitation Guide – This facilitation guide demonstrates how we incorporated feedback on research questions from the previous meeting, presented the updated research questions, and reached consensus about research questions to guide this project.
- YEP Meeting 3 - Full Group Slides – The slides to accompany the facilitation guide focused on how we incorporated feedback and presented updated research questions.
Determine data collection methods and participants
For this project, data collection methods were also pre-determined to ensure we had a manageable project scope. Because we were collecting data from five organizations, this could have easily become a massive undertaking. We were transparent with research group members from the initial kickoff meetings that this would be a qualitative study and we would be collecting data through interviews and document review.
As we entered the data collection phase, the Child Trends team also determined it would be most effective to assign one point person to manage data collection for each grantee organization. We also established our target amounts for each data collection method: five scheduled interviews with 1-3 participants in each and the review of 6-8 documents per grantee organization.
While the data collection methods were pre-determined, research group members decided who should be interviewed and what documents could best provide information about their policy win. We worked collaboratively with research group members to collect information about who to interview and which documents to review.
Example facilitation guides
- YEP Meeting 4 - Individual Data Collection Facilitation Guide – This facilitation outlines the meetings we had with the adult/young person pair from each organization to share expectations for the data collection process and start brainstorming potential interviewees and relevant documents to provide insights about their efforts to engage youth in the policy process.
- YEP Meeting 4 - Individual Data Collection Slides – The slides to accompany the individual data collection meetings.
Develop qualitative tools
To prepare for interviews, research group members brainstormed questions they would ask about an example policy win to learn more about how young people were involved, the stages of their involvement, local factors that helped or hindered, and resulting outcomes or changes. Using these questions, Child Trends staff then drafted a protocol that research group members reviewed before data collection began.
Example facilitation guides
- YEP Meeting 3 - Full Group Facilitation Guide – In this facilitation guide you will find an activity where research group members brainstormed questions to include in our interview protocol.
- YEP Meeting 3 - Full Group Slides – The slides to accompany the meeting where we brainstormed interview questions.
The Youth Engagement in Policy Research Group brought together young leaders and practitioners from across the country: Jamya Clark and Faith Robinson (New Orleans Youth Alliance); Teddy DeLeon-Alvarado, Blandina Flores, and Sam Joo (Para Los Niños); Iziko Calderon and Brisia Gutierrez (Los Angeles Opportunity Youth Collaborative); Nadirra Monrose and Tony Turner (Center for Fair Futures); and Deven Rudy-Johnson, MSW, and Kyra Stoute (Georgia EmpowerMEnt). Child Trends staff included principal investigators Amy McKlindon and Samantha Holquist; researchers Alyssa Scott, Ja’Chelle Ball, Jessica Conway, and Sage Caballero; and senior advisors Karin Malm and Elizabeth Jordan (Child Trends) and Julie Petrokubi (Education Northwest).
If you have questions about the Authentic Youth Engagement in Policy Project, please contact co-Principal Investigators Amy McKlindon at amcklindon@childtrends.org and Samantha E. Holquist at sholquist@childtrends.org.
This study is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation through its Foster Youth and Opportunity Youth Initiatives.