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Thirteen Responding to unhappy childhoods in the UK: enhancing young people’s ‘well-being’ through participatory action research

  • Charlie Cooper
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Social policy review 22
This chapter is in the book Social policy review 22

Abstract

This chapter focuses on young people and the research process. It examines how involving disadvantaged young people in research might contribute to improved understandings of their aspirations and the strategies that are required to achieve these. It outlines the rationale and approaches of a participatory action research agenda with young people (youth PAR). It argues that a youth PAR approach would not only present policy makers with important lessons on how better to respond to the needs of young people, but by facilitating the meaningful involvement of young people in the research process it also has the potential to empower young people themselves to effect positive social change. It outlines a toolbox for undertaking youth PAR, and offers several case studies of the approach in practice.

Abstract

This chapter focuses on young people and the research process. It examines how involving disadvantaged young people in research might contribute to improved understandings of their aspirations and the strategies that are required to achieve these. It outlines the rationale and approaches of a participatory action research agenda with young people (youth PAR). It argues that a youth PAR approach would not only present policy makers with important lessons on how better to respond to the needs of young people, but by facilitating the meaningful involvement of young people in the research process it also has the potential to empower young people themselves to effect positive social change. It outlines a toolbox for undertaking youth PAR, and offers several case studies of the approach in practice.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents iii
  3. List of tables and figures v
  4. List on contributors vii
  5. Introduction 1
  6. Current developments
  7. Education policy and policy making, 1997–2009 13
  8. Children’s social care under New Labour 31
  9. Health policy under New Labour: not what it seems? 51
  10. Towards a social democratic pension system? Assessing the significance of the 2007 and 2008 Pensions Acts1 71
  11. Minimum income standards and household budgets 97
  12. Current issues and debates
  13. Re-connecting with ‘what unemployment means’: employability, the experience of unemployment and priorities for policy in an era of crisis 121
  14. Facing the ‘dark side’ of deregulation? The politics of two-tier labour markets in Germany and Japan after the global financial crisis 149
  15. ‘Flexibility’, xenophobia and exploitation: modern slavery in the UK 173
  16. Mi Familia Progresa: change and continuity in Guatemala’s social policy 199
  17. Service user involvement
  18. Service users and social policy: developing different discussions, challenging dominant discourses 227
  19. Participation and social justice 253
  20. Involving disabled children and young people in research and consultations: issues, challenges and opportunities 275
  21. Responding to unhappy childhoods in the UK: enhancing young people’s ‘well-being’ through participatory action research 291
  22. Service users as peer research interviewers: why bother? 317
  23. Index 337
https://doi.org/10.56687/9781847427137-016

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents iii
  3. List of tables and figures v
  4. List on contributors vii
  5. Introduction 1
  6. Current developments
  7. Education policy and policy making, 1997–2009 13
  8. Children’s social care under New Labour 31
  9. Health policy under New Labour: not what it seems? 51
  10. Towards a social democratic pension system? Assessing the significance of the 2007 and 2008 Pensions Acts1 71
  11. Minimum income standards and household budgets 97
  12. Current issues and debates
  13. Re-connecting with ‘what unemployment means’: employability, the experience of unemployment and priorities for policy in an era of crisis 121
  14. Facing the ‘dark side’ of deregulation? The politics of two-tier labour markets in Germany and Japan after the global financial crisis 149
  15. ‘Flexibility’, xenophobia and exploitation: modern slavery in the UK 173
  16. Mi Familia Progresa: change and continuity in Guatemala’s social policy 199
  17. Service user involvement
  18. Service users and social policy: developing different discussions, challenging dominant discourses 227
  19. Participation and social justice 253
  20. Involving disabled children and young people in research and consultations: issues, challenges and opportunities 275
  21. Responding to unhappy childhoods in the UK: enhancing young people’s ‘well-being’ through participatory action research 291
  22. Service users as peer research interviewers: why bother? 317
  23. Index 337
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