At this point in the school year, youth–adult teams begin preparing to share their data analysis and action plans with the broader school community. Youth team members take the lead in modeling the Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) cycle, inviting families and community members into meaningful conversations about community, belonging, shared values, and equity in their schools.
Here are two reflections on recent Community Engagement activities by UP’s youth staff.
Methuen YPAR Teams Host First Vision of a Graduate Community Dialogue
by Ana Lindert-Boyes, Program Associate
On February 5, representatives from UP’s Methuen YPAR teams came together with members of the wider community for their first Vision of a Graduate Community Dialogue. The event was facilitated by youth from all five participating schools, who brought together teachers, parents, siblings, and community members for an evening that both celebrated their YPAR progress and supported the furthering of the Vision of a Graduate work.
That morning, the teams gathered for their 3rd retreat of the year — a chance to pause, reflect, and prepare. Youth reflected on their growth as facilitators, named their strengths, and identified areas for themselves to grow in where they felt less sure. Together, they practiced through a facilitation role play activity, supporting one another as they got ready for the event ahead.
That night, they presented their YPAR progress in teams, engaged attendees in a competencies chalk talk, and closed with small, student-facilitated circle conversations all around developing their shared vision of the key qualities of Methuen graduates.
Community Dialogue Events and Getting to ‘Y’
by Liberty Belote, Program Coordinator
For every project that a youth-adult team does, the Community Dialogue Event plays a critical role. It’s an invitation to those not directly involved with the work to peek into the process, celebrate the team’s accomplishments, and offer their perspectives, expertise, and resources to push the work forward. Beyond those goals, it’s also a phenomenal opportunity for youth to gain skills in talking to and engaging their community with issues that matter to them. In Getting to ‘Y’ (GTY), an UP program around bringing meaning to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (YRBS) and following it up with action, every team aims to put on this crucial event. Over 20 GTY teams are up and running just in Vermont, and this is a little sneak peek into one of their events!
Back in November, the Vergennes Union Middle School (VUMS) GTY team invited parents, administration and teachers to look into theYRBS data they analyzed. They challenged the attendee’s beliefs about everything going on at their school, from vaping to racism and sexism. The youth facilitators lead them through multiple activities to then think about the why behind these statistics and consider what might be happening in their school environment that youth know about and adults don’t, and vice versa! The day was complete with plenty of pizza, and a particularly competitive game of Yee-Haw.
Since then, the VUMS GTY team has looked back at those discussions and their data to create activities for morning meetings at their school. These meetings explore racism, sexism and microaggressions that happen in their community and are led by those same students dedicated to making a difference around them.
There’s so many Community Dialogue Events to come for many GTY teams, and VUMS is a shining example of the value engaging your community in action can do not only for your project, but to build the relationships and trust that are so vital to youth development, healthy communities, and long-term, positive change.
