About the PAR Group
How can a group of youth development practitioners and leaders in
Montgomery County use PAR to increase youth voice and authentic
engagement?
The Collaboration Council selected Participatory Action Research (PAR)
as the method of choice to respond to the Maryland Governor’s Office for
Children (GOC) charge to each LMB to expand their data collection efforts
and improve their assessment of local needs among vulnerable children
and families. With technical assistance funds from GOC in FY2016, PAR
helped the Collaboration Council enhance its capacity to plan and identify
the best ways to improve outcomes for disconnected youth by working
directly with this population.
The Collaboration Council’s planning efforts involve taking the time to
clarify the County’s purpose for action by hearing from young people
about their needs and issues related to their experiences in the County so
that the community could better determine what gaps exists and how the
County could leverage services to achieve greater success for this
population. The goal was to allow youth to tell their stories in a safe and
welcoming space so there would be a richer understanding of systemic
problems and policies that hinder re-engagement.
Because of this experience, the Collaboration Council choose to champion
Participatory Action Research as an authentic way to engage with young
people–one of the Council’s core values. “Youth Engagement” is a best
practice for reducing disconnection and improving outcomes for youth.
The Collaboration Council saw an opportunity in FY2017 to bring a small
cohort of youth development professionals together to learn how PAR can
be used as a tool for improving youth voice locally.
Montgomery County use PAR to increase youth voice and authentic
engagement?
The Collaboration Council selected Participatory Action Research (PAR)
as the method of choice to respond to the Maryland Governor’s Office for
Children (GOC) charge to each LMB to expand their data collection efforts
and improve their assessment of local needs among vulnerable children
and families. With technical assistance funds from GOC in FY2016, PAR
helped the Collaboration Council enhance its capacity to plan and identify
the best ways to improve outcomes for disconnected youth by working
directly with this population.
The Collaboration Council’s planning efforts involve taking the time to
clarify the County’s purpose for action by hearing from young people
about their needs and issues related to their experiences in the County so
that the community could better determine what gaps exists and how the
County could leverage services to achieve greater success for this
population. The goal was to allow youth to tell their stories in a safe and
welcoming space so there would be a richer understanding of systemic
problems and policies that hinder re-engagement.
Because of this experience, the Collaboration Council choose to champion
Participatory Action Research as an authentic way to engage with young
people–one of the Council’s core values. “Youth Engagement” is a best
practice for reducing disconnection and improving outcomes for youth.
The Collaboration Council saw an opportunity in FY2017 to bring a small
cohort of youth development professionals together to learn how PAR can
be used as a tool for improving youth voice locally.