PRYDE interviews Dr. Jane Powers, Director of ACT for Youth, in the 2nd episode of "Talking Youth Research" podcast series
Dr. Jane Powers, pictured to the far right, at a PRYDE Scholars Event.
The Program for Research on Youth Development and Engagement (PRYDE) has launched PRYDE Presents: Talking Youth Research, a new podcast series featuring conversations about positive youth development work at Cornell and beyond in other NY communities. In the second episode, PRYDE continues the discussion by featuring the BCTR’s Dr. Jane Powers, the Director of ACT for Youth. Her conversation with PRYDE Scholar Carley Robinson focuses in part on the benefits of youth involvement in the research process.
As described in the episode, the ACT for Youth team serve as intermediaries who translate research for policy makers, practitioners, and educators. By developing resources that build the capacity of youth advocates, their work improves the lives of teenagers across the state. Currently, ACT for Youth focuses on supporting the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based adolescent sexual health programs. When asked about her innovations for impactful translational research, Dr. Powers says she challenges herself by asking, “what do people really need to do this type of work well?”
She suggests that one answer to this question lies in Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR). YPAR shifts the traditional perspective of viewing youth as research subjects to seeing them as research partners. In this podcast episode, Dr. Powers shares her experiences working with community teens to tackle the problem of youth homelessness through the Independent Living Survey Project. Homeless youth trained to be research team members--developing survey questions, collecting and interpreting data, and even presenting findings to key stakeholders. As a result of these combined efforts, Dr. Powers and the youth researchers successfully raised social awareness and increased housing services in Tompkins County.
“Through partnering with youth and involving them, everyone benefits, including the youth, the community, and the research process,” remarks Dr. Powers in the interview.
To hear Dr. Powers and Carley’s conversation, find the second episode of the PRYDE Podcast here or search for “PRYDE Presents” on your podcast platform of choice (e.g., Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, RadioPublic). Stay tuned for new “PRYDE Presents: Talking Youth Research” episodes that continue the conversation on translational youth development research.