About
The Collaborative Research in Action (CRiA) Youth Symposium was created by Gabriel Higuera in 2015 and was passed on to Jessica Bernal-Mejia in 2019.
The CRiA Youth Symposium is open to K-12 students passionate about social justice and who want to present their ideas and connect to others.
What to expect from this symposium
After proposals are accepted student presenters will receive an email confirmation and questionnaire on how they would like to participate. Presentations will then be grouped by theme and assigned a presentation block time and room (see agenda below). Each room will have five to six 10-minute presentations relating to the theme. Student presenters will receive a certification at the end of their presentation.
Agenda
8:30am - 9:00am Registration and light breakfast
9:00am - 9:15am Welcome
9:20am -10:20am Presentation Block 1
10:25am - 11:25am Presentation Block 2
11:30am -12: 30pm Lunch
12:35pm - 1:35pm Presentation Block 3
1:40pm - 2:40pm Presentation Block 4
2:45pm - 3:00pm Closing Collaboration
Our History
Where we're from
“The youth participation action research project was a rigorous and informative assignment that was very important in my high school educational experience.” -K. Martinez
Collaborative Research in Action (CRiA) was originally created by Gabriel Higuera in 2015.
CRiA co-organized two youth conferences on social justice and ethnic studies at the two largest public universities in Arizona: University of Arizona in Tucson and Arizona State University Downtown Phoenix Campus.
On Saturday, April 21st, 2018, about 250 elementary, middle, and high school students representing 11 different schools throughout Arizona came to the U of A, presented research, and facilitated dialogues in nearly 20 different sessions.
Some panel titles included “Youth Rights & Activism," “Misogyny and Gendered Violence,” “Justice and the Environment,” and “Mental Health and Youth.” Some youth-facilitated workshops in collaboration with U of A undergraduate students were “Masculinity, Emotions, and Responsibilities,” and “The Lenses of Sexism.”
Critical to the program in Tucson is a small cohort of Pima Community College and U of A students who took part in a fall semester of youth participatory action research (YPAR) workshops. These workshops focused on helping younger students in participating middle and high school classrooms do their own critical research projects. YPAR is considered both a process and methodology of liberation where the researcher is most often a group and the knowledge they collectively generate is put into the process of social transformation. CRiA, through partnerships and collaborations with individuals, collectives, and organizations, works toward intergenerational spaces and processes of critical consciousness-raising.
In 2018, the college student cohort visited with community organizations and collectives engaged in migrant rights, refugee rights, and LGBTQ+ rights, while also developing personalized YPAR facilitator lesson plans. The group then worked with 5 participating middle and high schools in Tucson throughout the spring semester.
Friday, May 4th, 2018, ASU experienced the first Social Justice & Ethnic Studies Youth Conference. One hundred elementary, middle, and high school students presented their research at ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus. It was possible through tremendous outreach and support by ASU faculty and staff, and an outpouring of community support from local districts, community colleges, and community activists. The seed was planted for this gathering to continue and grow, considering the care with which organizers approached this event, helping ensure its continued service in centering critical youth voice.
Meet our Sponsors
.png)
.jpeg)
