
Bridging Academia and Community: Promoting Youth Engagement in Local Government through Qualitative Research
Through the HAPPY needs assessment, we discovered the potential of qualitative research methods (QRM) to gain deeper insights into community issues. This discovery inspired us to initiate a project that would not only emphasize qualitative research but also engage students in hands-on learning. After discussions with college management, we envisioned a project that would bring together our college community and local stakeholders to address low youth and women participation in local government – a crucial issue for community development.
Youth participation in local governance has been limited, with many young people lacking awareness about their potential roles in local decision-making and governance processes. Although some of our students are involved in politics and elections, their academic experience often doesn’t fully equip them for tackling real-world challenges in their communities. To gain a deeper understanding and address this issue, we conducted interviews and reviewed reflections and reports from the students engaged in local government processes as observers and interns to understand the obstacles and opportunities for youth involvement in local governance.
Our findings were insightful: youth in our community are largely disconnected from local development processes, with their understanding of local government often shaped by traditional views. Additionally, youth concerns are rarely prioritized at the grassroots level, resulting in limited involvement in community decision-making.
Key lessons from this project highlight the need for increased education on local governance, particularly regarding youth’s role in community development. Academic institutions like ours can play a crucial role by integrating programs that offer students practical exposure to community dynamics.