Understanding the Social Justice Function of Youth Councils

Principal Investigator

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  Astraea Augsberger

  Assistant Professor, Boston University School of Social Work

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  Mary Collins

  Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Social Work; Professor, Social Welfare Policy, School of Social Work

Co-Principal Investigator

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  Whitney Gecker

  2015 Early Stage Urban Research Award Recipient; Assistant Professor, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Assistant Professor Astraea Augsberger and Professor and Associate Dean Mary Collins seek to examine the range of topics youth councils address, youth involvement in the councils, and potential barriers to youth involvement in youth councils in the Boston metropolitan region.

As a component of the study, Augsberger and Collins will complete a detailed case study of the scope, structure and functioning of the Boston Mayor’s Youth Council (MYC). This will include three parts:

• pre- and post-test surveys with current youth council members
• semi-structured interviews with current youth council
  members, youth council alumni members and adult stakeholders
• observations of the MYC meetings

Publications

Augsberger, A., Collins, M., & *Gecker, W.A. (In press). Engaging youth in municipal government: Moving towards a youth centric practice. Journal of Community Practice.

What does youth-led participatory budgeting reveal about youth priorities? Ideas, votes, and decisions, Journal of Youth Studies, 21:4, 476-494.

Augsberger, A., Collins, M., & *Gecker, W.A. (2017). Best practices for youth engagement in municipal government. National Civic Review, 106 (1), 9-16.

Augsberger, A., Collins, M. E.,*Gecker, W.A., & Lusk, K., *Zhao, Q.J. (2017). “She treated us like we bring valid ideas to the table:” Youth experiences of a youth led participatory budgeting process. Children and Youth Services Review.

Augsberger, A., Collins, M., *Gecker, W.A., & *Dougher, M. (2017). Youth civic engagement: Do youth councils reduce or reinforce social inequality? Journal of Adolescent Research.

Collins, Mary Elizabeth; Astraea Augsberger and Whitney Gecker. (2016). Youth Councils in Municipal Government: Examination of Activities, Impact and Barriers. Children and Youth Services Review.

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