Working with the National Youth Advisory Board of Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights and partner organizations, in 2024 a team of 15 youth co-researchers from across Canada were hired to join community-academic research team to play an active role from guidance on research questions, conduct the qualitative interviews with youth, review and coding of interview transcripts to co-development of knowledge translation (KT) products

Phase I: In 2024, 15 youth co-researchers from across Canada engaged in a series of virtual planning workshops to set collective research priorities, roles for relational youth partnered research, and engaged in capacity-building to create and plan for arts-based and qualitative research with, by and for youth.

Phase II: In April 2025, we began a series of ~150 qualitative, in-depth interviews and participatory digital mapping with youth from across Canada, led by the youth co-researchers. Purposive sampling aims to reach diverse youth voices (e.g. 2S/ LGBTQIA+, Indigeneity, racialized, more rural and remote geography, new immigrant). In addition to regular debriefs, in September 2025, the YCR & academic research team met for a reflective workshop, review of initial findings to date, and plan purposive sample to ensure underrepresented geographic and social identities were represented, with data collection planned to be wrapped up by end of fall 2025.

Phase III: From June-August 2025, a smaller group of 4 YCRs interested in participatory analyses and writing engaged in a series of virtual training & planning workshops to develop a codebook and plan collaborative analyses. Iterative coding and analyses will be ongoing throughout fall 2025/ winter 2026. An initial abstract of was submitted on the community-engaged research process and will be co-presented at the Canadian Sex Research Forum in October 2025 in Vancouver by YCR and National Youth Advisory Board Member (Jalisa) and project coordinator (Carlie).

Phase IV: In the spring 2026, we will host a series of youth knowledge mobilization (KM) workshops with the youth co-researchers to design and create youth-led KM products (e.g videos, storyboards, visuals) on youth-centred, equitable sexual health care to share back with policy makers, providers, and general public.