Research

Thriving Youth Study

Organizers at the Thriving Youth Study launch event in Oxnard, February 6, 2023
 

Today’s adolescents are coming of age during an era of significant economic, social, and health inequalities. These social disparities were laid bare during the COVID-19 pandemic, as young people from lower socioeconomic, Latinx, and immigrant backgrounds disproportionately experienced disruptions to their learning because their families endured sickness; job, housing, and food insecurity; and mental health challenges. Conducted across different regions of California, the Thriving Youth Study is a mixed-methods community-engaged research study that seeks to understand how young people are coping after the COVID-19 pandemic. This research project is an extension of our California Freedom Summer 2022 program and has reached over 8,000 young people across California. 

In partnership with community colleges and community-based organizations across California, youth researchers have surveyed young adults ages 18 to 34 to learn more about their education and career aspirations, family care responsibilities, health outcomes, and experiences with civic engagement. Research sites include Oxnard, Northern Santa Barbara County, East Coachella Valley, Imperial Valley, and Santa Cruz County.  Findings from this study will be used to guide local institutions in providing educational, employment, civic, and health-related programs and inform grassroots campaigns, and local and statewide policy. This research is connected to Latina Futures 2050 Lab, a research initiative spearheaded by the CSRC, as it includes an oversample of young Latinas. 
 
For more information on the Thriving Youth Study, visit: https://csrccommunityengagedresearch.org
 
 
Oxnard
The CSRC worked in collaboration with Oxnard College, the City of Oxnard, the UCLA Labor Center, CSU Channel Islands, and community partners in the region to identify the aspirations as well as the challenges facing young adults in the region. A series of reports sponsored by Latina Futures 2050 Lab have been published on Indigenous Oxnard women, the gendered trajectories of Latina/o young adults, the Latina wage gap, and the trends among Oxnard’s young adult Latina workforce. 
 
Reports:
Press Release and Video:
Launch Event:
 
East Coachella Valley 
The CSRC worked in collaboration with College of the Desert, Youth Leadership Institute and Alianza Coachella Valley to identify the aspirations and the challenges facing young adults in the region. A series of reports will be published Fall 2025 on the gendered and economic realities of East Coachella farmworker young adults, and the civic engagement and mental health challenges and opportunities of East Coachella young adults.
 
Launch Event:
 
Imperial Valley
The CSRC worked in collaboration with Imperial Valley College Workforce Development Division, UCSC Institute for Social Transformation, UCLA Latino Politics and Policy Institute, Latino Data Hub, and USC Equity Research Institute and Imperial Valley Equity and Justice to conduct research on the gendered and economic realities of young adults in the region as well as their vision for a more sustainable and equitable future.  
 
Reports: 
Press Releases:
 
Northern Santa Barbara County
The CSRC worked in collaboration with Allan Hancock College, Future Leaders of America and Future for Lompoc Youth, to examine the educational and civic outcomes of young adults in the region. The survey also gauged young adults' support for local measures that could allocate funding to schools and youth programming. 
 
Reports:
Press Release:
 
Santa Cruz County
The CSRC worked in collaboration with the UCSC Center for Labor and Community to examine the experiences of young workers, including Latinas who compromise a growing segment for the workforce. 
 
Reports: 
Press: