A critical first step in the YEP project was collaborating with our funding partner to identify the grantee organizations whose policy wins we wanted to explore, as these organizations would play a key role in helping us select research group members. This partnership approach focused on working with nonprofit organizations who had strong youth engagement practices and the capacity and interest in researching how they engaged young people in policy efforts.
Funding partner
This project was funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. In partnership with their Foster Youth and Opportunity Youth Initiatives, we aimed to examine how youth are meaningfully engaged in policy processes and how that engagement influences policy outcomes, organizational change, youth development, and community outcomes.
Grantee partners
We worked with our funding partner to identify five of their grantee organizations to partner with on this project. Selection considerations included geographic location, youth engagement in policy efforts on a local (city or county) scale within the past two years, and the organization’s capacity to support and participate in research efforts. Given the funding partner had existing relationships with the grantee organizations, staff sent an initial email to identified grantees to gauge their interest and availability. These emails outlined the project’s goals and detailed the grantees’ potential roles, which included: 1) identifying one staff member and one young person to join a research group, and 2) supporting data collection by helping identify people to interview about the organization’s policy win. A one-page overview of the research group was also included as an attachment.
If grantee organizations replied with interest to the funding partner’s email, the staff then connected grantee organizations with Child Trends staff.
Downloadable Resources
- Research Group one-pager example
- Email template for grantee partners to identify Research Group members
YEP research group representatives
Once grantee organizations agreed to participate in the project and were connected with Child Trends staff, they received an email with more information about the research group. In this email, grantee partners were asked to identify an adult and a young person involved in their policy efforts to join the research group.
When grantee partners identified their research group members, each received a welcome email with information about their role and the next steps, including details about signing a contract. Once contracts were signed for both the adult and youth from each grantee organization, we began scheduling onboarding meetings, which are described further on the Define Roles, Expectations, and Engagement Processes page.
Downloadable Resource
- Research group welcome email example
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.