Values & Approach

Graphic Credit: Amanda Tanaka

i4Y is a cross-disciplinary, innovative research hub addressing issues of youth inequity through collaborative research, training and community engagement.

Globally, adolescents are facing a crisis in health and wellbeing driven by stark and rising inequalities. Reversing these inequalities will yield a triple dividend in the wellbeing of youth today, adults tomorrow, and their children to follow. An international consensus is now emerging regarding the urgency of addressing youth wellbeing – particularly with respect to improving the “upstream” inequalities in health, education, and community systems that drive disparities in adolescent health. i4Y aims as a cross-disciplinary, innovative research hub to address the issues of youth equity through Cross Disciplinary Collaborative Partnerships, Community Engagement, Training & Mentorship and Youth Voice. Click here for our i4Y summary Overview.

Cross-Disciplinary Collaborative Partnerships

We have engaged over multiple faculty/staff, graduate and undergraduate students from SPH, GSE, SSW and L&S, through a variety of working groups.

Community engagement & public purpose scholarship

We are building models of community engagement that are sustainable and integrate students, including our Research Practice Partnership Collaborative supporting RPPs with SFUSD and OUSD, our i4Y Community Advisory Board with 5 Bay Area based partners providing feedback, guidance and partnership and engaging our network of affiliates.

Training & Mentorship

i4Y is committed to establishing a training center to provide the methodological expertise for multi-disciplinary, applied scientists; providing rigorous and formative experiences in trans-disciplinary, real-world, youth-involved, team-based practice and; building cross-disciplinary partnerships for social innovation, human-centered design and skills to work collaboratively with community partners. Click here to view our student training programs.

Youth Voice

The most pressing high-impact real-world questions to promote adolescent wellbeing need to go beyond traditional methods. They require community-partnered science, and integration of quantitative, qualitative, and participatory approaches. For more information, check out our Youth Participatory Action Research page.