Bronx Youth as Partners in Community-based Participatory Research

About Resource

Bronx Youth as Partners (BYPA) in Community-Based Participatory Research was an eight-year partnership. Their mission was to prevent and reduce mental and other health disparities among Latino and Black adolescents in the Bronx. Bronx Youth as Partners connected Latino and Black youth from the Bronx communities to conduct research to address mental health risks among young community members. Community-based participatory research is a research approach that has been used successfully to collaboratively develop and design intervention programs that center community assets and priorities. This approach aims to equitably involve all partners in the research process and recognize the unique strengths that each brings. In this example, the research project began with a topic that was of importance to this community and focused on using local youth knowledge and action for social change to improve community health and eliminate health disparities for young adults in the Bronx. Partnering with youth ensured the relevance, success, and sustainability of this teen health intervention, and grounded the work in the social, community, and cultural factors that are often overlooked in traditional research methodologies.

The project was a partnership between the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx and youth and adult community members and organizations. The youth participants in this initiative partnered with a variety of stakeholders, including researchers, community organizations, policymakers and government officials, religious organizations, and schools to research ways to address mental health disparities. This community science project emphasized a strengths-based approach, in order to position youth as experts in their community priorities. The partners worked to identify and build on the community’s assets and the teens’ strengths and interests for conducting the research. The teens' insights and priorities were also centered in the collaborations and they were equal partners in decision making. The first tier of the project was the steering committee made up of youth leaders from the Bronx, primarily Black and Latino and adults who helped coordinate and advise the group. The second tier of the partnership was the BYAP Coalition, which was made up of approximately 60 youth-serving agencies located throughout the Bronx and New York City. This initiative created opportunities for positive youth outcomes by building competencies among the youth and among adults involved in the partnership.