Access this Learning Resource to use a student-centered framework for teaching civic engagement (Youth Participatory Action Research) developed by Ernest Morrell, Coyle Professor of Literacy Education, a member of the faculty in the English and Africana Studies Departments, and Director of the Center for Literacy Education at the University of Notre Dame. Morrell is also an N4 Education Adviser. 

“Every young person has the right and potential to become empowered changemakers in their school, neighborhood, and/or community and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) is the means to make it happen. Students decide what is most disconcerting in their lives, develop as researchers, and use their intellect and passion to address real-world problems to change the lived experiences of those they care about. Since the youth researchers are deciding on the topic of research, they are automatically more invested than if an adult was telling them what to research. The role of the adult is to guide the students to become highly competent researchers, support their intellectual growth, nurture their interests and ideas, and help them to develop the critical literacy skills that are transformational and transferable to other aspects in their lives. While the work of the research has the potential for real-world change, the most powerful aspect of YPAR is the impact it has on the overall growth of youth researchers.” – Ernest Morrell