10: Answering the Research Questions

Through this Critical Participatory Action Research study, many different questions and areas of youth leadership development were explored. Considering the results and findings from this process, the research questions which were posed at the start of the study can now be directly addressed. The three questions this study sought to explore were:

This chapter delves into the complexities of youth experiences within leadership initiatives. As the co-researchers-practitioners involved in this study illustrate, leadership programs, while beneficial, have their challenges which can disaffect youth and sometimes lead them to leave a program altogether. Through their voices, the study uncovers the detrimental impacts of being seen as stereotypical representations of youth rather than as whole individuals with unique experiences and aspirations.