Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) and Career Pathways in CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California Programming in FFY 2024
This documentation was compiled by the UC Davis School of Education (Nancy Erbstein, Associate Professor of Education in Residence, subaward PI) and Center for Regional Change (Brandon Louie, Director of Community Engagement, and Katherine Menendez, Junior Specialist) and commissioned by the CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California State Office as part of its Youth Engagement Initiative. This report reflects technical assistance provided by the UC Davis School of Education, the Center for Regional Change and the CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California State Office, and centrally, the dedication and hard work of the University of California Cooperative Extension staff and youth teams in the profiled programs.
This report documents the work of three CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California county programs that facilitated YPAR projects as part of the Youth Engagement Initiative during Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2024. YPAR is a process that engages young people in using the tools of research to critically assess conditions that shape their lives, with the goal of supporting action to improve those conditions. Highlighted here are diverse examples of YPAR in action within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed). In California, the name for the federal SNAP-Ed program is CalFresh Healthy Living. After providing brief background, this report profiles each YPAR project facilitated during FFY 2024. It concludes with a high-level review of the analyses of YPAR Retrospective Survey data generated by the CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California State Office in FFY 2023 to compare responses between youth in similar grades who participated in either full YPAR projects or one of the two shorter models. These case studies and their promising practices offer examples of what is possible as youth and program facilitators craft youth-led policy, systems, and environmental change interventions that fit the specific needs and circumstances of their unique communities.