In Dekalb County, the refugee resettlement community of Clarkston is known as the most diverse square mile in America. Here, many parents work long hours and late shifts, and a high percentage of families have only one car or less. Because of this lack of time and transportation, taking their children to after-school activities can often be a challenge.
This summer, six Clarkston teens took part in a pilot program at Georgia Tech aiming to improve mobility options. The four-week Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) institute was led by Assistant Professor Allen Hyde in the School of History and Sociology, along with Clarkston community partner UPPER90 and GT sustainability initiative Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS), which provided funding. Program assessment was carried out by the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing. The goal? Help Clarkston youth find a voice in their community. The method? Teach them to conduct research so they, themselves, can solve the problems around them. Read the full article HERE.