Building capacity for engagement: A scoping review of informal and formal research training for Indigenous youth

Community-based research approaches, including community-based participatory action research (CBPAR), are a research design that engages communities as active collaborators by offering training and support throughout the research process. These approaches, including CBPAR, have gained traction in work with Indigenous youth, as they build research capacity and foster equitable partnerships between community members and researchers. As an underrepresented population in CBPAR, Indigenous youth offer critical perspectives that can deepen understanding of community needs and inform culturally responsive approaches. To explore the uptake in community-based research approaches and youth inclusion, this scoping review analyzed 37 research articles detailing 33 research training programs for Indigenous youth engaged in research in Canada, the United States, Aotearoa (New Zealand), and Australia. Training programs ranged from providing a brief overview of the research process (42%) to teaching youth specific research skills (27%). Youth involvement also varied across training programs, from being included as study participants (15%) to extensive youth co-researcher partnerships (48%). Key themes were extracted from the articles to highlight the limitations and strengths of the research training programs. The programs demonstrated variability in delivery and youth involvement, with limited capacity to sustain research advancement post-project. These findings support the need for a guide on wise practices for meaningfully engaging Indigenous youth in research and for building community capacity.