Civic Access, Value, and Power: Findings from a Youth-Led Civic Research Initiative

Participation in civic life provides an important foundation for young people to develop democratic skills, cultivate civic identities and networks, and gain confidence in engaging with nonprofit and policy processes. In recent years, scholars have increasingly advocated for youth-led research approaches that actively involve young people in the research process. This research note examines how youth-led research can both empower young people and generate actionable knowledge for civic engagement. Drawing on a mixed methods youth civic engagement research project, we explore how youth-led civic research facilitates civic participation and contributes to future research and practice. Our analysis identifies three central themes around civic access, civic value, and civic power. Findings indicate that young people encounter distinct socioeconomic, geographic, and institutional barriers to civic engagement and place value on local and high-impact civic work. Additionally, the youth-centered research design fostered rapport building and created a peer-to-peer dynamic that encouraged openness and led to honest and contextually relevant data. This research note underscores the value of sharing and shifting power to youth in nonprofit and policy research and offers practical strategies for supporting the next generation of civic scholars and practitioners.