News in Brief: Youth-Nex Honored with National Award for Community Partnership Program

Photo: Arial photo of the city of Charlottesville. UVA Communications

Youth Action Lab, an initiative of the Youth-Nex research center at the UVA School of Education and Human Development, and partner Lugo-McGinness Academy, were awarded the Excellence in Civic and Community Engaged Partnership Award by Campus Compact. 

According to Campus Compact, the award “recognizes outstanding higher education programs and initiatives that make a meaningful impact by partnering with communities to address complex social issues.”

Beginning in 2021, Youth Action Lab’s partnership with Lugo-McGinness Academy (LMA), a Charlottesville City Schools’ small, non-traditional academy, has engaged students in youth participatory action research (YPAR). Each year, LMA students learn how to research issues important to them and use their research findings to advocate for change. Alongside Youth Action Lab facilitators and LMA teachers, the youth-led efforts have resulted in the creation of projects like the Neighborhood Kitchen, designed to promote community through food, as well as opportunities to influence school policies and career-based classes. 

The Youth Action Lab/Lugo-McGinness Academy partnership team includes Youth-Nex research scientist Jessica Forrester, Olivia Burke, graduate student at the University of Virginia, Carly Dirghangi, reading interventionalist at Lugo-McGinness Academy, and Nancy Deutsch, UVA School of Education and Human Development professor and associate dean for faculty affairs. 

“It’s been an honor to support Youth Action Lab over the last two years,” Forrester said. “The Youth Action Lab/Lugo-McGinness Academy partnership is a true testament to authentic collaboration between the university and the Charlottesville community, and a powerful example of amplifying youth voice in traditional research spaces. It is refreshing to see youth participatory action research recognized on a national level, and I’m excited to see what’s next for the lab.”

“This award recognizes the dedication we have shown in pinpointing research areas that resonate with students and offer practical applications for community involvement,” Dirghangi said. “Both LMA staff and students take pride in research efforts that foster stronger community connections.”

The Youth Action Lab was created under the leadership of former Youth-Nex postdoctoral researcher, Kimalee Dickerson.

“Having played a key role in building the Youth Action Lab from its initial stages to a fully realized program, I am incredibly proud and excited to see how far we've come,” said Dickerson, who is now an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina. “It is amazing to see how youth-led research continues to grow and influence positive change in schools and communities. I look forward to watching YAL’s impact continue to expand.”