Application of Youth-Led Participatory Action Research to Examining Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Ontario: What Can We Learn?

Three teams of youth researchers successfully developed and implemented independent YPAR projects examining equity-related factors affecting adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR) in Ontario.

• Teams consisted of four assigned-female youth researchers aged 16-19 years each, recruited from three priority regions in Ontario, Canada.
• Youth were recruited through purposive sampling from three priority regions.
• Each team independently identified key ASRHR issues in their region and developed a related research question.
• Each team determined their own study design, obtained institutional ethics approval, and conducted data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

Youth researchers completed a structured paid training program prior to conducting their research.

• Selected youth completed a paid 5-day virtual YPAR training.
• Youth teams were supported by adult research mentors throughout the process.
• The training and mentorship model enabled youth to manage the full research cycle including ethics approval and stakeholder communication.

The YPAR process produced research findings that were relevant, meaningful, adolescent-responsive, and culturally informed.

• The methodology employed a social justice-framed approach to examining ASRHR.
• Centering the perspectives, values, and experiences of youth positively impacted the youth researchers themselves.
• Results were described as yielding outcomes relevant and meaningful in ways that adult-led research may not achieve.
• Based on their findings, teams proposed potential solutions and communicated results to multiple stakeholders.

Youth-led projects identified multiple barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services and products.

• Barriers identified spanned geographical accessibility, equity, and service provider competence.
• Concerns were also raised regarding the content of sexuality education curricula.
• Policy and practice implications were identified across all three regional teams.
• Findings encompassed concerns related to both structural and provider-level factors affecting ASRHR access.

Participating in YPAR as researchers had a positive impact on the youth researchers themselves.

• Centering youth perspectives, values, and experiences was identified as beneficial to the youth researchers personally.
• The approach amplified youth voices through a social justice-framed methodology.
• Youth were positioned as co-authors on the resulting peer-reviewed publication, reflecting meaningful integration into the research process.
• The paper was coauthored by both adolescent and adult researchers, with youth listed among the named authors.

Engaging adolescents as partners in research through YPAR is presented as a strategy to ensure diverse voices are heard and to catalyze social change in the context of ASRHR.

• The study positioned YPAR within an increasingly acknowledged approach of engaging adolescents and young people as research partners.
• The social justice framing was central to the methodological approach.
• The study focused specifically on equity-related factors affecting ASRHR, with teams drawn from priority regions.
• Results were communicated to multiple stakeholders, extending impact beyond academic publication.