Assessing Queer, Trans, and Non-monogamous Youths' Experiences in a Community-based Research Project on Gender Equity

Youth participatory action research (YPAR) centers the living experiences of youth, integrating them into health research processes to produce actionable findings. Our study has built a YPAR project that engages queer, trans, and non-monogamous young women and non-binary youth aged 19 to 29 years in British Columbia, Canada to explore perceptions of measures of gender equity in relationships.

We share an assessment of how our YPAR approach impacted youth study members.

Youth were engaged through May 2022 and March 2023. Three youth research associates (core members of the research team) completed a qualitative reflection on their participation. Ten youth advisory committee (YAC) members (advisors on study processes/analysis during bi-monthly meetings) completed a mixed-methods questionnaire following five committee meetings assessing whether they felt heard, valued, and prepared to participate.

Youth research associates reported feeling valued and supported through training, data collection, and analysis. They identified the importance of ongoing training as their roles evolved. YAC members felt well prepared for their role and described meetings as a safe and productive place for dialogue. Meetings were considered too short and infrequent, highlighting the limits budget and pace of data collection placed on engagement. YAC members' reasons for participating included gaining research experience, honoraria, curiosity about the research topic, and community building.

This assessment offers insight into successful implementation of a YPAR approach with queer, trans, and/or non-monogamous young women and non-binary youth, providing a roadmap for health researchers to build projects wherein a diversity of youth feel valued and supported.