Addressing Sexual Consent: Youth Participatory Action Research with the New York City Department of Health

The adolescent sexual health program of the New York City Department of Health conducted a Youth Participatory Action Research project.

To partner with youth and community leaders in the design of a public awareness campaign on sexual consent communication.

In the research phase, youth served as co-researchers for twelve focus groups with 113 New York City youth. Youth-centered thematic analysis of transcripts was conducted. In the action phase, youth participated in concept development, scripting, and filming to produce three videos.

Youth-partnered research identified how "awkward" it can be for youth to communicate sexual consent verbally or non-verbally while navigating factors like relationship dynamics, substance use, technology, and social media. The action phase leveraged findings to design videos which garnered more than 100,000 views.

This paper provides an overview of a Youth Participatory Action Research project conducted with a health department, highlighting some lessons learned and recommendations.