Forty youth aged 14 - 17 are researching the factors leading to hustling among Hartford area teens. The youth researchers from The Institute for Community Research's (ICR) Summer Youth Research Institute (SYRI) will present their findings on Friday, August 13 at ICR, 2 Hartford Square West, Suite 100, Hartford. The event will start at 1:00 PM and is open to the public.

The SYRI, which is in its 8th year of operation, offers youth seven weeks of extensive training in participatory action research on a topic of their choice. "We picked teen hustling," says Kijuan Smith, 16, "because we feel it's a serious problem in Hartford. We want to show people how and why it happens and give them a better understanding of the problem." The youth have defined teen hustling as the selling of bootleg items such as CDs, jewelry and clothes; the selling of illegal substances such as drugs; and prostitution.

As part of ICR's larger Action Research Training and Development program, SYRI trains youth in research methods and data collection skills, and teaches them how to use research results to create positive community change. Over the summer, SYRI participants are employed through the Summer Youth Employment Program of Capital Workforce Partners. These young researchers are interviewing other youth and adults and surveying their peers about the factors affecting teen hustling such as financial situations, peer influence and family. They are also mapping locations where teens hustle in Hartford and creating a photographic essay based on the experiences of teens involved in hustling. Additionally, the youth are conducting pilesorts and other elicitation techniques. The youth researchers are able to collect their data with cooperation and support from summer youth employment programs at Hartford Street Youth Project, City Scan, CREC, the Hartford Puerto Rican Forum, and Hartford Adult Education, as well as other Hartford youth.

"The youth select an issue affecting them and their community, conduct research, analyze the data, and present their results," says Chiedza Rodriguez, Prevention Research Educator at ICR. "Through their exposure to research, they learn how to ask questions of themselves and their surroundings and think critically about why things happen." Adds fellow Prevention Research Educator Damion Sincere Morgan, "The youth discover they really can have a positive impact on their community if they're given the right tools and if they really want to. Already the teens are talking about the need for more youth programs offering job training and activities to get kids off the street."

Another component of the SYRI is the involvement of Senior Youth Research Educators, such as 18-year old Andre Jackson, who have participated in other ICR youth initiatives and now act as a peer leaders and co-facilitators. "The transition from being a youth participant to a senior youth educator was kind of difficult but I've learned to conduct myself with responsibility because I'm setting an example now," says Andre. "The interpersonal skills I've learned here, the methods of how we conduct research, the diversity of people at ICR--all this is going to help me in college and when I go into 'real' work."

During the upcoming school year, the SYRI youth researchers will continue to use tools and skills gained over the summer to develop and pursue an action plan based on their research findings.

For more information about the SYRI, contact Marlene Berg, Associate Director of Training, at 860-278-2044, x226.

The Institute for Community Research is an independent, nonprofit organization which conducts applied research and community enhancement programs to promote equal access to health, education, and cultural resources. The Summer Youth Research Institute has been made possible through the generous support of the Capitol Workforce Partners (CWP), the Center for Substance Abuse and Prevention (CSAP), and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS).

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