This presentation will discuss the use of NTARC’s participatory action research model to empower youth for health education and promotion. The National Teen Action Research Center (NTARC), a youth center of the Institute for Community Research in Hartford, CT, was formed to promote the training of youth in action research methods as a means for improving investigative skills and engaging youth in order to increase their understanding of sexual, drug and other health risks. Youth primarily conduct action research projects around health and education issues of importance to them. Through engagement in the action research process, youth begin looking at their communities critically, becoming engaged in ways that enable them to make positive changes in their communities and build support networks of young people and adults. Interventions based on this model demonstrate that peers are more effective in promoting risk avoidance than adults, especially when they can develop their own prevention strategies. In addition, teens educate other youth and adults by developing dissemination strategies and facilitating action research training projects. The presentation will discuss the action research model, theory and methodology, projects, and evaluation. The learning objectives of this session are to understand (1) the use of the NTARC model as a means for health education and promotion, (2) the use of youth research educators as peer facilitators, and (3) the development and implementation of assessment and evaluation methods by adults and youth. See www.teenactionresearch.org or www.incommunityresearch.org
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will understand: 1. The use of the NTARC model as a means for health education and promotion. 2. The use of youth research educators as peer facilitators. 3. The development and implementation of assessment and evaluation methods by adults and youth.
Keywords: Adolescents, Community Research
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The presentation will be about the NTARC program and the action research model that we use. We have developed a curriculum that we use within the program, and as a result, we will be referring to the curriculum "Participatory Action Research: Curriculum
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: The NTARC action research model and resulting curriculum were developed by NTARC/Institute for Community Research.