Online Intergenerational Participatory Research: Ingredients for Meaningful Relationships and Participation

Abstract

Over thirty years ago, children’s participation rights were recognized internationally with the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Increased involvement of children and young people in lead, collaborative, and advisory roles in interdisciplinary research has challenged ‘traditional’ adult research practices in numerous ways. Co-production recognizes participants as experts and creators of knowledge, engages children and young people in decision-making, and addresses traditional adult-child hierarchies. #CovidUnder19 is a movement that aims to foster intergenerational partnerships between children, young people and adult members of the child rights community to develop evidence-based advocacy to uphold children’s rights throughout the pandemic, as well as in response and recovery. The COVID 4P Log smartphone app was designed to better understand ways practitioners and policymakers protect, provide, enable participation, and prevent harm in their practice. Children and young people aged 14 to 19 from countries around the world are involved as co-researchers and advisors in research design, data analysis, and knowledge exchange. This paper explores the experiences of #CovidUnder19 young people as researchers focusing on the data analysis and knowledge exchange phase and includes their reflections on meaningful intergenerational partnership in research. This includes the importance of relationships, embracing the ‘inner child’, and fostering meaningful participation in the research process. The paper concludes with recommendations for other researchers on how to work in partnership with children and young people meaningfully to strengthen the process and impact for researchers and children’s human rights.

Expanding the social cure: a mixed-methods approach exploring the role of online group dance as support for young people (aged 16–24) living with anxiety

“…The focus groups and interviews utilised an arts-based method known as ‘river journey’, which involved inviting the young people to reflect on their experiences of participating in the online classes by visually mapping out how they felt at the start, middle and end of the eight weeks ( Lee et al, 2022 ). They were invited to draw a river using colored pens and pencils across a blank page, writing keywords and images that reflected their significant experiences, strengths, and challenges.…”

Arts and Mental Health Co-Research with Youth Advisors: The Role of Emotions, Creating Community, Learning and Growth

“…my platform to speak was treated just as equally as their platform". Lee and colleagues [7] similarly highlight the value of vulnerability and recommend that adults be open to "feel[ing] vulnerable and look[ing] human" through fully engaging in games and sharing one's own strengths and challenges [7] (p. 13).…”

“…Research shows that listening to youth on issues that affect them can improve health research processes and outcomes [6]. Of note, the shared emotional experiences of collectively engaging Youth 2024, 4 136 in participatory youth research are important to the value and impact of the process, whereby emotional relations between researchers and participants can bridge and link groups together (e.g., [7]). From a structural perspective, research funding bodies are also increasingly requiring the engagement of participants in the design of proposals (e.g., Medical Research Council, UK Research and Innovation) and throughout the research process (e.g., the inclusion of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)) and coproduction.…”