Overview
At YAAH, we hold a strong belief that young people with lived experience of homelessness (YEH) should have equitable roles in research partnerships. This belief is at the core of our internship program, which is designed to instill feelings of competence and confidence in research for YEH.
Our paid internships, which typically last five to seven weeks, require a 5-7 hour time commitment per week. These hours include in-person and virtual workshops, offline assignments, and peer-mentor meetings. Throughout the internship, our YAAH research team works closely with our interns to build relationships, enhance their understanding of research concepts, and foster their professional growth. Research concepts covered in our workshops include differentiating between quantitative and qualitative methods, exploring study designs, understanding the importance of informed consent, and different ways research can be disseminated. Professional development is often interwoven into our workshops, for example, discussing how the skills we are working on can be applied in different settings. However, we have also delivered specific career development workshops, providing guidance on resumes and writing cover letters.
True to our philosophy as a research team, we want our interns to have an active role in the research we’re conducting and future iterations of the internship. Therefore, we intentionally have interns contribute to ongoing research during the internship and create pathways for future engagement. We also have post-internship surveys and exit interviews, which give young people the opportunity to share what they liked about the internship and how it can be improved. Below are some example quotes from our post-internship data collection, reflecting young people’s reactions, learning, and feedback.
