Youth of Color in the United States are often leaders in movements for social justice. Evidence suggests that organizing has a positive macro-therapeutic effect on the mental health of young organizers; however, they can also experience strain and become targets of the very systems they are trying to change. In a community-based participatory…

Recent policy discussions have proposed government-guaranteed jobs, including for youth. One key potential benefit of youth employment is a reduction in criminal justice contact. Prior work on summer youth employment programs has documented little-to-no effect of the program on crime during the program but has found decreases in violent and other…

This qualitative case study examines a unique sample of 13 Asian American adult and youth activists and community leaders in New York City who support school integration efforts to increase enrollment of Black and Latinx students at selective schools. In contrast to Asian Americans who support a model minority narrative--one dimension of Asian…

Autistic youth are more likely to experience traumatic events and may be more likely to develop trauma-related symptoms. However, accurately identifying trauma-related symptoms in autistic youth can be challenging. We examined post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related diagnoses in youth with and without autism spectrum…

In the context of heightened worldwide migration, emotion-based discourses portraying migrants as fearsome and dangerous continue to regulate nation-state boundaries. This paper reports on a critical visual research study in which migrant youth living in New York City were given digital cameras and asked to take pictures of places they thought…

This report shares findings taken from a Community Analysis and identifies 1) structural challenges that communities face as they work to support transition age youth (TAY); 2) narratives about TAY that contribute to these challenges and policies and practices that create burdens for TAY in meeting their needs; and 3) creative solutions that build…

This qualitative research study consisted of nine face-to-face interviews with unaccompanied youth (UY) living in homelessness and receiving services from a New York City (NYC) based Drop-In Center. Drop-In Centers are funded by the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development and designed to provide a continuum of services for youth who are…

Psychiatric conditions are common in autism; however, a multitude of barriers exist in accessing community-based mental health care for autistic youth. Perhaps the first and most formidable barrier is identifying a provider that offers mental health treatment to autistic youth within the many service systems involved in supporting the autism…

In this ethnographic study, Alexandra Freidus investigates the dilemmas of whiteness that challenge a youth-led campaign for school integration in New York City. Analyzing field observations, interviews, and internal documents, she illustrates the ways whiteness shaped young people's identities as allies and activists, contributed to an…

Brain age, a measure of biological aging in the brain, has been linked to psychiatric illness, principally in adult populations. Components of socioeconomic status (SES) associate with differences in brain structure and psychiatric risk across the lifespan. This study aimed to investigate the influence of SES on brain aging in childhood and…

There are eleven million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Approximately two million are young people under the age of twenty-four. Although they came to the United States as children and were essentially raised and educated here, they remain without a pathway to legal permanent citizenship. Relatively little is known about the…

The Choose Health Action Teens (CHAT) program of Cornell Cooperative Extension engages teens to teach a nutrition curriculum to younger youth, with the goal of enhancing the leadership skills and health behaviors of the teen teachers. Due to COVID-19, an in-person CHAT program in New York City was converted to virtual and implemented online during…

United Methodist Church polity bars "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" from ordination and prohibits same-sex wedding celebrations in their churches or by their clergy. Recently, the consequences for disobeying church polity have increased in severity and the denomination is expected to split. This paper profiles three churches who…

Strong, caring relationships with adult and peer mentors have long played a crucial role in helping young people thrive academically and overcome challenges they face while at school and at key points in their educational journey. These mentoring relationships for students can be provided at school through volunteer programs embedded in the school…

Purpose: This paper aims to examine critical, college-going identities and literacies of first-generation immigrant youth within a dual enrollment, youth participatory action research seminar. Design/methodology/approach: This study is a qualitative case study drawn from a larger, critical ethnographic study. Findings: Findings illustrate that…