A Youth Advisory Research Board in a science center: an empowering setting for collective action

Youth Lead the Way: A Youth Advisory Research Board Model for Climate Impact Education, hosted by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), offered a theory-based approach for youth from communities underrepresented in STEM to conduct content research on local climate change impacts and develop interactive educational products designed to engage public audiences around these impacts. Through the Youth Lead the Way project, a program that supports youth and science center collaboration was developed and implemented by integrating two well-established methods: Youth Advisory Boards and Youth Participatory Action Research. Through Youth Advisory Boards, young participants can influence real, observable change. This report describes the research methods and the resulting evidence that informed the local OMSI YARB model.