Thirty-five youth aged 14 - 17 are researching the factors contributing to positive or negative neighborhood conditions in Hartford. The youth researchers from The Institute for Community Research's (ICR) Summer Youth Research Institute (SYRI) will present their findings on Friday, August 12 at ICR, 2 Hartford Square West, Suite 100, Hartford. The event will start at 1:00 p.m. and is open to the public.

The SYRI, which is in its 9th year of operation, offers youth six weeks of extensive training in participatory action research on a topic of their choice. "We picked neighborhood conditions," says Samuel Stevenson, 14, "because it's what we see every day. Our streets are dirty and little children play around there and they might get hurt. There's shootings. We want our neighborhoods to be safe and clean."

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 surveying their peers, conducting focus groups, and interviewing youth and adults about the factors affecting neighborhood conditions such as role models, community norms and financial situations. They are also asking research participants to map locations where violence, littering and abandoned buildings occur. Additionally, the youth are photographing sample neighborhoods in Hartford's Northend and Southend. The youth researchers are able to collect their data with cooperation and support from summer youth employment programs at Hartford Street Youth Project, Urban League of Greater Hartford, the Hartford Puerto Rican Forum, SAND Corporation, Mi Casa, the Asylum Hill Boys and Girls Club, and Southend Community Services.

"The youth are learning about the variables that impact how their neighborhoods look and the kinds of behaviors that occur in them," says Damion Sincere Morgan, Prevention Research Educator at ICR. "They are examining people's attitudes towards violence, drug use and littering, as well as the effects of role models and financial situations on behavior." Adds SYRI Coordinator Chiedza Rodriguez, "Community norms are about socially acceptable behaviors and expectations and these influence decisions about littering, going to school or fighting."

As the youth are completing their research and analyzing the data, they are examining ways to make their communities stronger. "We want people to be more aware of the things happening in their neighborhoods," says 15-year old Yaneeke Calderon. "If they're more aware, they will care more and try to do things like clean-up their neighborhood and stop their friends from doing violence."

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