{"650530":{"#nid":"650530","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Summer YPAR Institute Empowers Youth to Create Change","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn Dekalb County, the refugee resettlement community of Clarkston is known as the most diverse square mile in America. Here, many parents work long hours and late shifts, and a high percentage of families have only one car or\u0026nbsp;less. Because of this lack of time and transportation, taking their children to after-school activities can often be a challenge.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Right now, it can be difficult for young people to get around to places like soccer practice,\u0026rdquo; said 14-year-old Clarkston resident Doss\u0026nbsp;Sebarenzi. \u0026ldquo;I hope we can improve mobility options so people like my little brother can get around more easily.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis summer,\u0026nbsp;Sebarenzi\u0026nbsp;was one of six Clarkston teens who took part in a pilot program at Georgia Tech aiming to do just that. The four-week Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) institute was led by Assistant Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hsoc.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/allen-hyde\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAllen Hyde\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hsoc.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESchool of History and Sociology,\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;along with Clarkston community partner\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.upper90goal.org\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EUPPER90\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;GT\u0026nbsp;sustainability initiative\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/serve-learn-sustain.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EServe-Learn-Sustain\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(SLS), which provided funding. Program assessment was carried out by\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ceismc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing.\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe goal? Help Clarkston youth\u0026nbsp;find a voice in their community.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe method? Teach them to conduct research so they, themselves,\u0026nbsp;can\u0026nbsp;solve the\u0026nbsp;problems\u0026nbsp;around them.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The focus on youth is important because they are often left out of conversations related to planning and research around mobility and other issues. However, they are a large and important part of the community,\u0026rdquo; said Hyde. \u0026ldquo;We wanted to train them to collect data, conduct research, and make recommendations on how to improve their community from their own experience and treat them as the experts they are.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch2\u003EFrom research to action\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHyde spent three weeks training the students in research methods and helping them put those skills to work in Clarkston and Atlanta.\u0026nbsp;With support from SLS Director Jennifer Hirsch,\u0026nbsp;summer intern\u0026nbsp;Hudson\u0026nbsp;McGaughey, and Associate Professor AJ Kim at San Diego State University, the students collected and analyzed data to discover how to make it easier and safer for young people to get to after-school sports, activities, and jobs in Clarkston.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn week four, the students prepared and presented their findings to local leaders \u0026mdash; including a Clarkston City Council member and city transportation planner \u0026mdash; as well as residents, friends, family, and an invited audience from Georgia Tech. The teens had many suggestions for improving mobility for youth in the city, including teaching them how to use the buses with a \u0026ldquo;learn by doing\u0026rdquo; program;\u0026nbsp;providing more bike racks and locks\u0026nbsp;at apartment complexes, parks, and stores;\u0026nbsp;and installing lights to improve safety on sidewalks at night.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe next step is turning those recommendations into reality.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the YPAR institute ended in July, Hyde, SLS, and the students will continue working with the city leaders and non-profits who expressed interest in the venture. Sixteen-year-old participant Haile\u0026nbsp;Kini\u0026nbsp;said he wants to keep talking to city leaders to get funding for the streetlights\u0026nbsp;and to explore adding\u0026nbsp;Wi-Fi\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;them\u0026nbsp;for emergencies and to help people travel. Undergraduate and graduate students in Hyde\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hsoc.gatech.edu\/news\/item\/645595\/fall-seminar-preview\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EFall 2021 HTS course\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;on Equity and Community Engagement\u0026nbsp;will also lend a hand as part of their class project, and the work will continue via Hirsch\u0026rsquo;s student-led\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.vip.gatech.edu\/teams\/vwm\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EVIP: Building for Equity and Sustainability\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;as well.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch2\u003EFilling a tool kit for the future\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter a tough school year with Covid-19 and remote learning, the YPAR institute instructors also hope the program\u0026nbsp;will inspire the students to feel excited about school again and start thinking about college and their careers beyond it. The teens received \u0026ldquo;an honorable stipend that provided significantly to their needs,\u0026rdquo; said UPPER90 Director Jorge Vallejo, and they were able to practice important soft skills like waking up on time and communicating effectively. Now, 16- year-old Ashik\u0026nbsp;Sunuwar\u0026nbsp;wants to invent new technologies to improve his community.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;I learned that I need to pursue more education to be able to do that,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs for Hyde:\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;I probably learned as much or more than the students themselves.\u0026rdquo; He researches inequality, immigration, and urban sociology at the School of History and Sociology, but his connection to the project and the teens is closer than\u0026nbsp;that \u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;he\u0026rsquo;s also been their soccer coach since 2017. For Hyde,\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003ECreating the Next\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;at Georgia Tech can happen anywhere, and he hopes not only to inspire\u0026nbsp;Sebarenzi,\u0026nbsp;Kini,\u0026nbsp;Sunuwar, and the others to\u0026nbsp;take action\u0026nbsp;in their city but to actively give them the tools, skills, and \u0026mdash; perhaps most importantly \u0026mdash; the\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003Econfidence\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;they need to do so.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Increased belief that they can make a difference is critical, and we saw that in some of their exit evaluations,\u0026rdquo; said Hyde. \u0026ldquo;So often youth are ignored by communities and families even. We want to give them a voice and empower them to be agents of change.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe School of History and Sociology aims to \u0026quot;Explore the Past, Engage the Present, Define the Future.\u0026quot; Connect with us on\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TechHSOC\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EFacebook\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/twitter.com\/techhsoc\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ETwitter\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/hsoc-gatech\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ELinkedIn\u003C\/a\u003E, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/techhsoc\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EInstagram\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;to keep up with our students, school news, and upcoming events!\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The goal? Help youth in Clarkston find a voice in their community.\u00a0The method? Teach them to conduct research so they, themselves,\u00a0solve the\u00a0problems\u00a0around them.\u00a0"}],"uid":"35766","created_gmt":"2021-09-07 17:34:19","changed_gmt":"2021-09-16 13:21:29","author":"dminardi3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-09-08T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2021-09-08T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"650531":{"id":"650531","type":"image","title":"Summer YPAR Institute participants Haile Kini, Tossa Tiku, Ashik Sunuwar, Doss Sebarenze, UPPER90 Mentor Munda Sheriff, Assistant Professor Allen\u00a0Hyde, Amani Nsanze, and Abdul Kamara.","body":null,"created":"1631037034","gmt_created":"2021-09-07 17:50:34","changed":"1631037118","gmt_changed":"2021-09-07 17:51:58","alt":"Students pose for a picture by the Kendeda Building\u00a0on the first day of the Summer 2021 YPAR Institute at Georgia Tech on July 6th.","file":{"fid":"246866","name":"16 x 9 Aspect Ratio (41).png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/16%20x%209%20Aspect%20Ratio%20%2841%29.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/16%20x%209%20Aspect%20Ratio%20%2841%29.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1061321,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/16%20x%209%20Aspect%20Ratio%20%2841%29.png?itok=5lw9Q_hJ"}}},"media_ids":["650531"],"groups":[{"id":"1288","name":"School of History and Sociology"},{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"365","name":"Research"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDi Minardi\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003Edi.minardi@gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["dminardi3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}