
Poster presented at the Citizen Science 4 Health Conference 2023 based on the 'Giving Young People a Voice' project, run by Aarhus University and partners in Denmark. Abstract During the COVID-19 lockdown, many young individuals faced significant mental health challenges as their daily lives underwent radical changes. They were confined to their homes and deprived of regular social activities. In the project "Giving Young People a Voice," we took the initiative to engage young individuals in two-way science communication regarding their mental health, as well as co-creation of coping strategies to empower them. Furthermore, we engaged five of the young people as co-researchers and workshop facilitators. Through three iterative and participatory workshops we actively involved more than 150 (16-20 y/o) young individuals in a co-creative process. The initial workshop focused on the challenges and benefits the young people experienced during the COVID-19 lockdown. In the following workshop, a group of young individuals undertook the task of analyzing these reflections. In the third workshop, a separate group of young participants effectively translated the synthesized reflections into actionable recommendations or advice. Finally, the collaboration was documented by a mixed method approach containing both interviews, observations, and a questionnaire. Results demonstrated value creation for all participants and provided valuable insights for enhancing two-way science communication and co-creation. We propose that involving young co-researchers can be an effective approach to engaging other young people in research through peer-to-peer communication and fostering meaningful participation for all.
Youth, Co-creation, Mental health, Citizen science, Covid-19, Science Communication
Youth, Co-creation, Mental health, Citizen science, Covid-19, Science Communication
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 0 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
