PRYDE Youth Investigators

What is Youth Investigators?

For years, PRYDE’s practitioner partners in youth development have pointed out a need for high quality, hands-on research experiences for youth in 4-H. In response, PRYDE created the Youth Investigators Program to offer youth an engaging social science research experience that provides experiential learning opportunities across each phase of the research process. The program is delivered through a student workbook containing 5 different modules that provide youth a foundational understanding of how research is conducted.

Youth Investigators offers a portable model of youth participatory action research that can be applied to a range of research projects. Upon completion of the Youth Investigators Curriculum, youth “graduate” from the program ready to execute their own research projects or to even get involved with PRYDE as student researchers. The goal of these participatory approaches is for youth to directly benefit from their involvement in research.

The curriculum is intended to help youth to consider career paths in social science, develop scientific competencies, and reflect on their identities and goals through experiential learning. The program aims to prepare youth to be critical thinkers who can evaluate the validity of claims they encounter in a variety of settings, both online and offline. Successful graduates are empowered with the knowledge to investigate questions they have about their world by using key principles of research to positively impact their own lives and communities.

If you are interested in bringing Youth Investigators to your own county, please contact pryde@cornell.edu for more information.