Zaida Gromko

Zaida Gromko and Dr. Gina McGovern research The Impact of Civic Engagement Focused Youth Participatory Action Research on Adolescents’ Sense of Purpose during the McNair Research Institute 2025.
Mentor: Dr. Gina McGovern
Research: Youth Participatory Action Research in Local Middle Schools

Youth participatory action research (YPAR) empowers youth to become active members of their community by collaborating with adults on meaningful research aimed at improving their lives. In May 2025, Central Michigan University’s Participatory Action Research Team with Youth (PARTY!) recruited 42 students from two local middle schools to participate in focus groups to gauge students’ interest in YPAR and to understand the issues and topics that are most compelling to them. Students showed strong interest in joining PARTY and enthusiastically shared their ideas for key areas of improvement for their schools and community. In this report, we share themes from the focus groups and recommendations for launching PARTY at Mt Pleasant Middle School and Renaissance Academy in the upcoming 2025-26 school year.