title: Being useful: achieving indigenous youth involvement in a community-based participatory research project in Alaska.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report on a participatory research process in southwest Alaska focusing on youth involvement as a means to facilitate health promotion. We propose youth-guided community-based participatory research (CBPR) as way to involve young people in health promotion and prevention strategizing as part of translational science practice at the community-level.
  
  
  METHODS
  We utilized a CBPR approach that allowed youth to contribute at all stages.
  
  
  METHODS
  Implementation of the CBPR approach involved the advancement of three key strategies including: (a) the local steering committee made up of youth, tribal leaders, and elders, (b) youth-researcher partnerships, and (c) youth action-groups to translate findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The addition of a local youth-action and translation group to the CBPR process in the southwest Alaska site represents an innovative strategy for disseminating findings to youth from a research project that focuses on youth resilience and wellbeing. This strategy drew from two community-based action activities: (a) being useful by helping elders and (b) being proud of our village.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study, youth informed the research process at every stage, but most significantly youth guided the translation and application of the research findings at the community level. Findings from the research project were translated by youth into serviceable action in the community where they live. The research created an experience for youth to spend time engaged in activities that, from their perspectives, are important and contribute to their wellbeing and healthy living. Youth-guided CBPR meant involving youth in the process of not only understanding the research process but living through it as well.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Center for Alaska Native Health Research, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA. tjford@alaska.edu
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: Stacy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rasmus
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Allen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000413:Alaska; D002648:Child; D003256:Community Participation; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American