Introduction

Youth led research is documented in the literature as a way to increase response rates and improve the quality of data for hard to reach populations (Fernandez, 2002). Previous research has demonstrated benefits when participatory action research is used with youth populations including young children, middle school children, and as part of female empowerment. Additionally it has been documented across different programs including literacy programs, health promotion programs, and school and mental health settings (Chen, Weiss, & Nicolson, 2010; Clark, 2010; Liegghio, Nelson, & Evans, 2010; Newman, Berg, Rodriguez, & Morgan, 2010; Ozer, Gaddis, & Ritterman, 2010; Ren & Langhout, 2010). Despite this promising research base, further exploration is needed. For instance, Duckett, Kagan, and Sixsmith (2010) found that this methodology failed due to the resistance of the adults involved in the systems. Adults may be used to making decisions and running programs and may have difficulty with the power shift needed to integrate this approach. Further, as illuminated by Wong, Zimmmerman, and Parker (2010), the degree of youth participation can vary widely when this methodology is used. Although youth led research is widely used with other marginalized groups, its use with homeless youth has been limited and little is known about the impact of this methodology with this group that tends to be highly marginalized and stigmatized (O’Donoghue, Kirshner, & McLaughlin, 2004; Powers & Tiffany, 2006). This study explores the impact of youth led research on homeless youth who participated as peer researchers. Further, this paper seeks to gain insight into the impact of youth led research on the recruitment of participants and discusses peer researchers’ perceptions of whether the methodology increased participant disclosure in a study on the transition to adulthood among high-risk youth.

It is particularly pertinent to study this methodology with high risk and homeless youth due to their unique life experiences. These youth are routinely exposed to disempowering experiences and it is useful to understand the role of youth led research can play in empowering this group. High-risk youth may have experienced childhood abuse, substitute care placement, parental substance abuse, or housing instability. These are all factors that place youth at increased risk for homelessness (Burt, 2007). Homeless youth are more likely to be victims of physical and sexual assault, to suffer from depression, and to experience drug abuse and dependence than their peers with stable housing (Tyler & Johnson, 2006; Wenzel, Hambarsoomian, Amico, Ellison, & Tucker, 2006). Utilization of peer high risk youth to access individuals in these circumstances can lead to greater insight and data collection. It is critical to explore and gain insight into the use of peer led research with high risk youth to both improve the research being collected and because this approach has the potential to empower participants. This can be particularly important for high risk youth who have often had a multitude of disempowering experiences.

Literature Review

Youth Voice

Youth “voice” has become an important concept in research on adolescents and young adults. In recent years, voice in policy making has been touted as important and needed (Children’s Rights Inc., 2005); however, while this is a common refrain, in reality youth are often silenced, ignored, or not consulted about matters that are central to their lives (James, 2007). It is important to solicit youth voice to understand their lived experience as only they know it. Youth led research can be an important tool for involving young people in all aspects of research that affects them. It is also relevant to acknowledge that youth led research has the potential to reduce the power imbalance that occurs between a professional researcher and youth (Spyrou, 2011). Youth led data collection methods provide opportunities for youth to express themselves and to create meaning out of their experiences (McTavish, Streelascky, & Coles, 2012).

Youth Led Research

Schensul and Berg have conducted a review of youth led research. They state that youth led research is referred to in the research community by many names including: participatory action research, youth research, empowerment evaluation, and youth-led evaluation. The term can encompass a variety of activities, including: emphasizing evaluation in youth serving agencies, research conducted by youth researchers that is used for advocacy, and research focused on youth voice (Schensul & Berg, 2004). Youth led research seeks to empower marginalized groups by engaging them in research (Schensul & Berg, 2004; Ozer & Wright, 2012).

Schensul and Berg (2004), outline three essential qualities for researchers interested in utilizing this approach. The researcher must, (1) care about the research, (2) care about the peer researchers, and (3) be politically motivated to use research for social change (Schensul & Berg, 2004). Youth led research is specifically designed to work with disenfranchised youth, such as those in this project experiencing homelessness. Because it addresses micro and macro level issues (e.g. the research questions and advocacy based on results), youth led research focuses on giving youth a voice in both their future and the future of their community (Schensul & Berg, 2004; Ozer & Wright, 2012).

Follow-through is an important component of youth led research. Previous research has noted both the need for and challenge in ensuring long-term partnerships with youth (Fernandez, 2002). Following completion of a youth led project, policymakers may respond to youth advocacy by allocating funding for policy change. During the implementation of policy change it is possible for the youths’ vision and goals to be lost unless efforts are made to maintain youth as full partners (Fernandez, 2002). Youth should be included as equals in implementation, coordination, and evaluation of the policy change (Fernandez, 2002; Ozer & Wright, 2012).

The focus of youth led research includes not just research but also the aim that youth involved will personally benefit through a sense of self-efficacy, competence, and increased voice. In addition to a goal of personal growth for the youth involved, youth led research also aims to create macro level change by increasing group voice, community efficacy, and reducing structural disparities (Schensul & Berg, 2004; Ozer & Wright, 2012). Youth led research involves a shift to view research as both a method for data collection and as a transformative experience for the youth involved (Fernandez, 2002). Youth have the experience of gaining research and team work skills, gaining employment experience, learning about research and advocacy, and being empowered to make change in their own community.

In addition to having a positive impact on participants, youth led research can have an impact on the quality and quantity of data collected. Fernandez (2002), found that youth involvement provided better access to the community being studied and a response rate over 80 %. Youth led research is especially important as it can provide a unique generational perspective that can improve methodological development, data analysis, and formulation of implications (Åkerström & Brunnberg, 2013). The strengths and benefits of youth lead research are many, but it is also important to examine the challenges that this methodology presents.

Youth led research presents challenges that may not be present in traditional research methods. Questions of reliability and validity can arise because of the nature of youth involvement. Previous work on youth led research has documented that despite the benefits of this type of research adults may question whether youth have the emotional and social maturity needed to conduct research (Flores, 2007). It may be difficult for academic research to fully utilize youth in the research process and it can be politically restrictive (Jordan & Kapoor, 2010). For example, academics may find that Institutional Review Boards question the professionalism and objectivity of peer researchers. Similarly, traditional researchers that are not familiar with youth led research may question the research objectivity. The line between subject and researcher is blurred and this can raise questions for readers who are accustomed to traditional research designs. Researchers may be asked to discuss the professional training of peer researchers, to discuss safeguards to all participant confidentiality, to explain rigor, and to educate their audience on youth led research. It has been documented in previous research studies that using youth to lead research is a way to increase the reliability of data; however, they have also found that this approach may make presentation of the research to academics and policymakers a challenge as they are more accustomed to traditional survey designs (Fernandez, 2002).

Exploring the Impact of the Project on the Peer Researchers

This paper built off the desire to evaluate the use of youth led research in a larger project (Gomez, Ryan, Norton, Jones, & Galán-Cisneros, 2015). Full details of that project can be found in a previous publication.

Questions about the methodology’s impact on the peer researchers were exploratory and sought to examine how the use of youth led research with homeless youth impacts peer researchers. This paper provides a description of the experience of homeless youth who were employed as peer researchers and their impact on the overall study. It describes the perception of peer researchers on the use of youth led research with this population, as well as the peer researchers’ perceptions of how participating as a peer researcher affected them. The goal of this paper is to describe how youth led research might be used to expand the methodology to work with homeless youth.

Three research questions were used to achieve this goal: (1) What is the experience of homeless youth who are peer researchers? (2) What are the thoughts of peer researchers about the use of youth led research with this population? (3) What is the peer researchers’ perceptions of how participating as a peer researcher affected them?

Methods

The Youth Led Research Project

This researcher was part of the research team involved in the original project (Gomez et al., 2015) and following completion of the project this researcher independently collected additional data about the impact of youth led research on the peer researchers themselves. To explore their experience as part of youth led research with homeless youth, additional data came from ten interviews with the peer researchers from the original project

Training of Peer Researchers

Peer researchers were homeless youth between the ages of 18–25. Peer researchers were trained by the academic researcher and another member of the research team to conduct individual interviews following the human subject guidelines required by a university Institutional Review Board.

Peer interviewers underwent intensive training on basic interviewing skills, confidentiality, informed consent, basic research methods, methods for building rapport, use of digital voice recorders, and group dynamics. Additionally, peer interviewers were required to complete the University IRB training through the available computer training modules. This was done with the assistance of the researcher. The training lasted approximately 2 h, and was conducted by the researcher who is knowledgeable about research methods and working with youth. In addition to the University IRB training module, elements of the Positive Youth Development Resource Manual (www.actforyouth.net) were used in the training. Training occurred before peer researchers began recruiting participants for interviews or focus groups.

In addition to the initial training, peer researchers had access to the researcher by phone and email for support. Once the interviews at a site were completed, one or more of the co-investigators returned to the site to collect the interview data, process it with the peer interviewers, and help facilitate focus groups. Further, to address concerns about rigor, transcribed interviews were reviewed by researchers and compared to audio-recordings of the interviews. This allowed the researchers to look for areas where the peer researchers may have added an interpretation to what the subject said, misquoted a subject, or not followed research training protocol.

Sample

Sixteen youth (ages 18–25) who had experienced homelessness were recruited and employed by a youth advocacy agency receiving funding to study homeless youth. Ten of the sixteen youth were available for this follow-up study/paper. The transitory nature of homelessness contributed to the inability to locate and interview all sixteen youth. These ten youth are referred to as peer researchers. Peer researchers were trained by the researcher and another member of the academic research team to conduct individual interviews and follow the human subject guidelines required by the IRB as outlined above.

Data Collection

At the culmination of the overall youth led research project, the principle investigator conducted individual qualitative interviews with each of the ten peer researchers. Consent for participation was explained by the researcher prior to participation. The interviews were approximately 50 min long and followed a semi-structured interview protocol that sought to gather the participants’ perspectives on how the experience impacted them, as well as their perception of how this form of research impacted the data.

Participants received $50 in compensation as an incentive for participation. Peer researchers travelled to the Capitol to participate in advocacy activities. For convenience, the interviews were held at a hotel conference room near the Capitol. Interviews were taped with the consent of the participants and transcribed for the purpose of analysis.

Data Analysis

Transcripts of the qualitative interviews with peer researchers (n = 10) were analyzed using content analytic procedures (Miles & Huberman, 1994). Following transcription, the principle investigator and a coder who was a Masters level social work student and had 14 years of child welfare experience in both administrative and direct care work analyzed transcripts to identify major themes. Categories and subcategories were developed that specifically illustrate participant ideas and responses as defined for each category. The principal investigator and coder then separately examined each transcript and identified all distinct statements (any word, phrase, sentence, or response that pertained to a single concept stated by an individual). Differences in identifying these statements were reconciled through consensus. In all, four separate rounds of coding were completed. Each coder then compared their findings and discussed discrepancies until an agreement was jointly arrived out regarding any coding differences. Content analysis involved choosing a concept and recording the number of times it occurred in the text. The results were then used to make inferences about what the text is conveying (Busba & Harter, 1980). In this case, six dominant themes emerged; voice, depth of responses, providing solutions, helping others, increased empathy, and empowerment.

Results

All peer researchers described participation in the project positively. Being a peer researcher was viewed as empowering, rewarding, and instilling hope. One youth described it as a dream come true.

It was awesome! This really was a dream come true because I’ve seen so much happen in my life and I’ve always wanted to go to the government and tell them what’s going on and what needs to be done. I never thought in a million years that I would even come close to having that opportunity. Today I did that. It was so surreal. (I am) trying to grasp the concept of a dream coming true.

Another echoed these feelings stating, “It was very rewarding because I knew that the outcome would be great. ”Other sentiments about the overall project included a feeling of hope for the future. “I gained back a little bit of hope…A little bit of confidence in the future.”

Voice

Content analysis revealed one primary theme related to research question one: Voice. Peer researchers felt listened to and valued. They felt like their voice mattered. Youth described their peer researcher experience as giving them voice. They perceived that policymakers listened to them and valued their feedback. One youth describe how the very process of being listened to boosted their confidence. “I kept on thinking no one was really gonna actually listen to me. However today speaking with the legislative staff, they were very interested and like, yeah, we’ll try and run with that. So it gives me confidence.” Another youth described feeling more important.

(Best thing about participating)… Feeling of value…… As if my opinion mattered. ……. As if the people I interviewed …..as if their opinion actually matters. You should have seen them when I went to legislators earlier this morning. They were like, wow. And that makes me feel a little more important.

It was important to peer researchers to be listened to and have the opportunity to share their experience. As one youth stated it, “I can do it. I never really met a legislative person and I got offered to go up here for the second time. So, I guess somebody listened.”

Peer researchers also acknowledge the process of voice and that this experience provided them the skills necessary for advocacy. This youth explained the process of building youth voice.

There’s a strong beautiful voice, a youthful voice and once people start to listen, that voice will grow. It will get louder and louder and louder. And then it will be a mature voice. A voice that matters, not just to the person, but (to) everyone. I think today quite a few voices have grown.

Depth of Responses

Youth interviews provided another theme- that this methodology improved the depth of responses. They perceived that youth were more willing to be open in the interviews because peers were conducting them. The peer researchers felt that the bond created by having a common experience allowed participants to be more open in their responses. One youth describe the peer to peer relationship this way:

It got kids to open up more. A kid will open up to another kid more than he would to an adult. If I’m a kid and you’re a counselor, and I ain’t never met you, I don’t know what to say to you. So, I’m just like, “Yes. No. Maybe. I don’t know.”

Another peer researcher reiterated the importance of using peers with this population stating, “I think it was easier for me to get information out of them as opposed to a professional. People felt more comfortable giving honest answers. If it had been a professional they would have never elaborated on anything.” In addition to addressing the issues of trusting professionals, peer researchers acknowledge the importance of having a shared experience with the interviewees. One peer researcher articulated it well stating, “I guess people can relate more to me because I been through a lot and I can relate to a lot.”

Providing Solutions

Analysis of the interview revealed that youth have answers to the barriers they encounter. Participants had ideas about policy changes and were willing to discuss these solutions. Participants primarily identified two changes, neither of which required funding. They focused on a need for policies that promote continuity of relationships, and to be heard by administrators in charge of policies and programs. One youth illustrated the realistic view that the youth had about the state budget constraints, stated, “They won’t be hurting you. It ain’t coming out your pocket. It ain’t coming out the taxpayers pocket. I’m just asking you for a relationship.” Another youth shared reiterated the importance of relationships over other needs sharing “Maybe kids just need somebody to talk to. You don’t have to always give them money, give them trips, and give them chips, just talk to them.”

Youth described not only the importance of relationships but also their frustration with how they felt the child welfare system impeded their ability to maintain relationships. The statement below illustrate this well:

When people leave foster care, I think, you can’t give us money, you can’t give us a car, at least give us a security net. …… Somebody to talk to……. That we can all go to. There doesn’t have to be a cut-off time.

Once you got out of the shelter, you couldn’t talk to the shelter staff any more. And, if I have a relationship with them, how am I suppose to just cut that of. That’s like somebody saying, “You can’t talk to your Mom because she’s moved up to Chicago.” That’s your Mom. What do you mean?

Youth expressed a desire to be given the opportunity to address their own problems with their own solutions. They want to use their unique lived experience to create solutions. One youth put it this way:

When they repeat what you just said, in their own words, that lets you know that they’re listening. When they add on to what you just said, that lets you know that they care. Beyond the fact that they are listening, and that’s what we need, you know. The youths know what they need. Listen to them. Instead of trying to think about what your ideas are listen to our ideas. This is our problem, not yours.

Helping Others

Peer researchers expressed that participating in the research impacted them in several ways. Youth felt that participating as peer researchers was valued, but also that their participation sparked a desire to continue helping others. Participants’ descriptions are provided below.

One youth described it in terms of mastering new skills for helping others. They shared:

I’m getting a new found respect for researchers, because now I see from their point of view, how much time, effort and devotion that goes into doing this. What they do….. it means something far beyond anything that I could have fathomed before. This is something I see myself continuing doing.

Another youth shared how they gained new perspective and learned tools for working within the system for positive change. The youth stated:

It got rid of me being half wide bigot towards researchers and politicians. I’m starting to see things differently and now I see that I can work with people in these professions to help better others instead of working against them.

This peer researcher shared the value they found in helping other youth who had experienced similar challenges to them. They stated:

Instead of having people doing it because it was their job there were people doing it because they really wanted to see something happen. When I first received the call about doing a job with surveys the only thing that was on my mind at the time was money. But once I found out what I was actually doing, money didn’t even matter to me anymore. I had completely forgotten about the money and when I had gotten a check, I was like, what is this for? I started it for the money, but I finished it for them. That’s worth more than any check.

Increased Empathy

Youth also shared that participating in the project helped them gain a greater sense of empathy for others who have experienced similar challenges. This theme is illustrated by the direct quotes provided below.

As the youth below shared they found value in being able to focus on someone else and see things from someone else’s perspective. Despite the fact that peer researchers shared similar experience to participants, they were committed to making sure the participants’ voices were heard.

The most important (thing) was regardless of what was said to see this from their eyes so I would truly know what the problem is and how to solve it. I made sure whatever opinions I had that I blocked it entirely because how I felt did not matter. This was not about me. It was about them. So I had to put all my focus and my attention on them, and it paid off greatly.

Another youth shared that participating in the project helped them to see past their history and their pain and discover that their story could help others. This youth shared:

I used to walk every day saying “this is what I’m gonna do for me”. This is what I’m gonna do for my life. I ain’t worried about nobody else. I been through a lot. I’m more worried about me, but me doing this program makes me look at (the fact that) everybodys gotta struggle and you just can’t push everybody out your life. To tell the other people your story can help them go through it.

Empowerment

Empowerment was the final theme that emerged from the data. Peer researchers felt empowered to make a difference in the system by participating in the study. The direct quotes provided below reflect this theme.

I now know that it is possible to do something about it. And it’s so easy. And I now know that I can tell this to everyone else. I can say, “if you don’t like it, do something about it”. I mean, I did. Don’t just come with a problem, come with a solution.

The quote below is a powerful illustration of how youth felt empowered by the process. This youth expressed an understanding that his/her actions made a difference.

Taking the information to the Capitol, making that giant step. Actually making a difference, taking all these unheard voices and giving it to the Representatives for them to hear. I did what millions of others don’t wanna do. What seems like such a simple thing, made such a big difference even though nothings even happened yet. Because, this is on their minds. Odds are, they’re gonna go to sleep with this on their minds. They’re gonna wake up working on this tomorrow. They’re gonna pass some of this information to the Senators. The senators are going to discuss this. And odds are, this is going to be discussed, among the House. And that is when it becomes national. And someone is gonna, take legislative action, then it’s gonna become a bill. And eventually that bill is gonna become a law. And it won’t be just for the state, it’ll be federal. And this could take 3 years, but, what happened today is going lead up to that. And, it’s because of us.

Another youth shared how powerful it was to be part of team that was working to make a difference. This youth stated:

One person can make a difference. Not on their own. I know that …..but, one person can start the ball rolling. And when you ask the questions, you get the answers. When you get the answers, people wanna know why you want the answers. When people want to know why you get the answers, then people asking you the questions, then you tell them. And you got more people. And so, it’s a snowball effect. If one person starts saying something then it just falls on down the road until it becomes a huge freaking avalanche. And that’s pretty freaking cool. I think it’s really cool.

A peer researcher shared how motivating it was to be trusted with someone’s story. This youth shared:

Being in this project was actually pretty motivating for me. It was motivating (for) them to (open) themselves up to me you know, as a perfect stranger. And for them to say, “You know what, this is my story. I want you to hear it.”

Discussion

This study sought to explore youth led research and the impact it had on participants, data, and those employed as peer researchers. Consistent with previous research on groups of youth, this paper found that homeless youth benefitted from participation in youth led research (Flores, 2007). Previous studies have documented benefits that include increases in empowerment, social capital, and self-confidence (Flores, 2007). Several important themes emerged from qualitative interviews with peer researchers. Peer researchers felt that participating in the project mattered, that people listened to them, and that they had a voice. Related to the impact of the methodology on the data, peer researchers reported their perception that homeless youth were more likely to talk to them and to give them a greater depth of information because they were peers. They also reflected that when policymakers sought feedback, they were able to provide real and feasible solutions to their own problems, based on the data collected. Lastly, findings suggest that peer researchers directly benefitted from participating in the project by reporting an increased desire to help others, and a greater sense of empathy for others. Their feelings of empowerment to make a difference in the lives of other youth was created from the knowledge obtained from the interviews, combined with the sense of self-confidence from being part of the research team.

Implications

Consistent with the tenets of youth led research; this project included homeless youth in all aspects of the research. Several implications for research, policy, and practice warrant discussion. The use of youth led research among this particular population is not well documented and this exploratory study provides initial data that can be used to develop future research efforts. Findings revealed that youth led research is a promising approach for use with homeless youth as participants were able to elicit rich interviews with the participants, and they felt a sense of empowerment as a result of their involvement in the study. Data revealed that peer researchers unanimously reported participation as a positive experience. Many reported feeling listened to for the first time thus elevating their feelings of self-worth. Participants also reported they believed the data was richer due to their work as peer researchers. It is traditionally extremely difficult to engage high risk youth in research because they are leery of any involvement with systems; and tend to view researchers as part of the system (Gilbertson & Barber, 2002). By having youth lead the research, this project was able to engage participants and encourage them to open up about challenges they might be hesitant to share with traditional researchers.

The use of a youth led methodology created lessons for researchers and policy-makers alike. Youth participants were able to share their perspectives and recommendations for current policies and programs with policy-makers. The youth who participated in this project were aware that during the legislative session in which they discussed their findings, the state of (State removed to preserve the integrity of the blinded review process) was in a budget crisis and that additional funding for programs was not viable. They proposed policy changes that were meaningful to them but required no funding. One of the primary recommendations focused on creating opportunities to establish ongoing relationships with caring adults. This is an area that has garnered increased attention from child welfare practitioners and researchers over the last few years but has continued to receive less focus than material supports such as housing, education vouchers, life skills, etc. The peer researchers presented this as a primary need that could be addressed by redefining policies, not by spending money.

Finally, participation in the project appears to have had an impact on the participants themselves. In contrast to traditional services they receive where a professional is in a dominate role giving them information, resources, or funds; this approach allows the youth adult to make decisions and provide input. Participants felt their participation in this study mattered; had a purpose and an impact. Youth who participated in this project began to feel that they had the power to impact the future. One participant describes it well:

The most important thing that I learned is, you can make a difference. I now really know that you really can make a difference. It’s not just possible, it’s highly probable. It’s right there in front of you. You just reach out and grab it and you’ve made a difference. I now know that, I wanna keep that in my head at all times. Now that I know how probable and how simple, and how easy it is, to make a difference, I’m gonna spread that out to other people. I’m gonna show them and prove to them that people can make a difference. Because everyone wants to, but they don’t think they can. I’m proof that you can.

Participants felt empowered to make a difference; however, it is important to note that while they were able to communicate their ideas and recommendations to an audience that holds the power to make significant changes, their recommendations have the potential to fall on deaf ears and not be considered, especially in a legislative setting. Having a “voice” does not always lead to change.

The findings from the current study suggest the following additional policy recommendations. First and foremost, youth should be involved in policies and programs that serve them. This type of approach may be particularly important for youth in high risk groups who have experienced a loss of control in many areas of their life. Additionally, youth should be involved in policy planning and implementation not just because it makes for more responsive policy but because the very act of involvement has the potential to counteract disempowerment among disenfranchised youth (removed for blind review).

Limitations

This study utilized peer led research with youth. When youth lead a research project, there is a real concern that the researchers’ experiences may be very similar to the study participant’s and therefore allow researcher bias to infiltrate findings. To mitigate this issue, the original project did not use peer researchers as data analysts, but rather used them to help elicit open and honest responses from study participants and ensured their voice was reflected through member checking (Gomez et al., 2015). Additionally, this study is exploratory and much more research needs to be done using this approach with homeless youth. Participants’ experiences with policy-makers appeared positive; however, much is unknown about the actual impact the research process and ultimate recommendations will have on policy formation.