Community-Engaged Research Convening: “Bridging Rigorous Research on Youth and Young Worker Organizing”
By Eduardo Solis, CSRC administrative analyst
On March 6 and 7, the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC) hosted junior scholars and faculty for a convening in Long Beach, CA, as part of its commitment to foster rigorous community engagement and scholarship. The Community-Engaged Research Convening, “Bridging Rigorous Research on Youth and Young Worker Organizing,” consisted of a series of enriching workshops aimed at strengthening community-based research that focuses on improving the health and economic outcomes of youth and young adults. Participants provided critical insights into the various challenges facing multiple communities across California, including challenges in allocations of municipal funding for youth programming, current the labor conditions of young agricultural and day-labor workers, and the potential of grassroots youth organizing to improve their wellbeing and health outcomes.
During the first day of the convening, researchers obtained feedback from peers and community organization leaders on public-facing reports and policy briefs that provide actionable data and insights to organizations guiding a variety of grassroots efforts and campaigns. Ivan Vega, policy and health equity manager at Future Leaders of America, as well as May Lin, assistant professor of Asian American studies at CSU Long Beach, provided insights on how to shape the scholars’ research and writing into actionable data that organizations they partner with can utilize for their campaigns. On the second day of the convening, the scholars received feedback from faculty mentors for their academic works in progress: journal articles and book manuscripts. Scholars received feedback from a variety of established faculty in the field, including Lawrence (Torry) Winn, associate professor of teaching in education at UC Davis; William Rosales, associate professor of sociology at Cal State LA; and Rocío Rosales, associate professor of sociology, and María G. Rendón, associate professor of urban planning and public policy, at UC Irvine.
The invited scholars are at different stages of their academic careers, but everyone shared a deep commitment to advancing research that improves the lives of young workers and youth. Angel Ross, a PhD candidate in sociology at UC Berkeley, highlighted the disparities in funding between policing and social services, demonstrating how most California cities allocate more than twice as much to policing than services that enhance opportunities for young people. Uriel Serrano, community power postdoctoral scholar at the USC Equity Research Institute, discussed how youth workers foster healing, particularly in the context of gendered expectations. David Turner III, assistant professor of Black life and racial justice in the Department of Social Welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, presented on community-rooted praxis and emphasized the importance of being in community rather than merely participating in it. Rekia Jibrin, assistant professor critical studies of education at UC Santa Cruz, emphasized how Oakland youth are aware of the issues affecting their education and how they actively contribute their own solutions to these challenges.
Graduate students from multiple UC campuses also presented findings examining the intersections of labor, education, and social safety nets, with a focus on marginalized youth populations. Victoria Ciudad-Real, doctoral student in sociology at UC Irvine, discussed Oxnard’s young residents and disparities in access to social safety nets. Mirella Deniz-Zaragoza, a doctoral student in sociology at UC Santa Cruz, discussed how dangerous working conditions persist for agricultural farmworkers in the East Coachella Valley, increasing their vulnerability to acute injuries and exposure to pesticides. Emma Tran, doctoral student at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, discussed the lived experiences of Vietnamese American girls in Orange County, shedding light on the role and impact of the refugee community on government and political change. Andres Murillo from UC Merced emphasized the poor health and safety standards affecting young day laborers and provided policy recommendations urging state investment to help workers file formal claims.
Facilitated by Veronica Terriquez, CSRC director and professor of urban planning and Chicana/o and Central American studies at UCLA, and Chantiri Abarca, CSRC senior officer of community-engaged research, this gathering offered emerging experts a unique opportunity to receive valuable feedback and recommendations from established scholars and community leaders. By connecting these researchers with experienced mentors, this gathering aimed to refine research and advance the academic success and public impact of junior scholars whose work tackles pressing issues in the lives of young populations in California.
“As a student attempting to publish my first article, the feedback I received was very insightful. I got a new set of eyes on my paper and the comments received will help strengthen my overall argument and make the research more compelling for an academic audience. It was also validating to hear from other seasoned researchers that they thought my paper was nearly ready for submission because throughout this process I have doubted myself and the contributions I am trying to make.”
— Victoria Ciudad-Real, PhD student, UCI Department of Sociology
“The feedback provided was helpful in several ways: 1) I was able to anticipate a potential publication plan for journal articles, community-engaged reports, and a future book project; 2) I obtained feedback for my journal article that focused on historically contextualizing my article, grounding it in a long history of resistance and abolition in Black educational thought; and, I received concrete suggestions for journals where my article could be published. The feedback was extremely supportive, and encouraging. I felt very valued as a scholar of color.”
— Dr. Rekia Jibrin, assistant professor, UCSC Department of Education
The CSRC is grateful to Gaby Dominguez, CSRC operations manager, for coordinating a thoughtfully planned gathering.
The CSRC thanks The California Endowment for supporting this convening of emerging and established scholars whose research advances understandings of racial and health justice issues facing California's young residents.