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In loving memory of Janaan Ahmed, 2002-2024. Rest in power.

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In loving memory of Janaan Ahmed, 2002-2024. Rest in power.

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"In middle school I began to find my voice...Our voices can be a catalyst for change...Be bold." Janaan is an ancester and a teacher in perpetuity.

Gratitude to Victoria Pope, YoUthROC alum with Janaan, for your gift of painting with your whole heart.

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Hi my name is Sajdah!! I joined Youthroc with the intention and hopes of connecting with those in the community and making connections with those around me along with the hope of making a positive impact for youth like me.

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Hello! I am Laichia Vang (they/she). I am an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and I study Political Science, Sociology, and Racial Justice in Urban Schooling. I am also a Program Director at StoryArk for a youth leadership and social justice program, and I am involved with the University of Minnesota’s Asian Pacific American Resource Center, Asian American Studies Program, the Liberal Arts for Engagement Hub, and more. I intend to go to graduate school to become versed in critical pedagogy, education justice, and youth activism. I joined YOuthROC because I am incredibly passionate about youth power, social justice, and education systems. In my free time, I enjoy finding free food and events in the Twin Cities, cooking meals with high protein, and working on my drag artistry. Here’s a fun fact about me: I was a 2022 Finalist for the MN Author Project: Communities Create and editor of Exploring Language & Identity: The Experiences of ELL/ESL Students.

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Hi my name is Jay, I use they/them pronouns and I am in high school and a part of YoUthROC. The reason I joined was because I was new to the community and wanted to learn and talk more about my people and the struggles we go through, being apart of YoUthROC has truly been a great experience, to me it feels more like a community of positive people together in one space all fighting for the same thing, instead of just a job. Personally I’m glad I took the leap to join the team and I have a chance to get to know such great people.

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My name is Kai. I use they/them pronouns, and I am a Sociology Major and Urban Studies Minor at Augsburg. In my free time I enjoy sewing and roller skating.

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hello :) my name is avery and i am a senior Youth Studies major at the University of Minnesota. I was a part of the Young People's Action Coalition in high school, where my passion for political education and youth organizing began. I believe that young people have some of the most revolutionary ideas and that they are key actors in movements for social justice and change. My favorite song right now is Sunbathe by Tainy and Miguel. :)

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Hi my name is Nakyla I go by she/her and the reason I joined YoUthROC was to engage more with the community and help with researching in high school and learn how to do media like photography and get more black excellence in the world.

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Hello!

I am the graduate assistant/coordinator for fall 2023. I am currently obtaining my master's in education policy and leadership. I am passionate in building a equitable education system where students of color can thrive. I found myself drawn to YoUthROC because of its community and kinship building aspect, a component of research that is lacking in academia.

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My name is Shamyra, and I'm just a young black girl that wants the world to become safe, for everyone. Growing up on the west side of Chicago, I grew up in a area where struggle and injustice was apparent. While going into my freshman year, even after moving that's all I saw. Since than I've grown my knowledge, and found strength in hearing and uplifting my community. I am a student at Henry High.

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Hi, I'm Leyla (she/her)! I am a Literacy PhD student/YoUthROC graduate assistant at the U of M's Department of Curriculum and Instruction. I am passionate about anti-racism and anti-Islamophobia - I strive to center humanizing practices and make the work I do supportive to young people. My favorite childhood movie, that brings me youthful joy to this day, is the 1997 Cinderella, staring Brandy, Paolo Montalban, and Whitney Houston!

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Hello everyone! My name is Lee’RayVone Gibson and I’m a first-year student at Augsburg University. I’m interested in YoUthROC because helping out my community and seeing my people succeed is a huge thing in my life. Giving those who not only look like me, but grew up in similar conditions as me, as much support in any way shape or form is something that is incredibly important to me as well. Whether it be through my constant activism towards the betterment of POC and my constant advertisement towards the deconstruction of discriminatory systems within society, or my constant pursuit and advocacy toward better mental health resources for POC as well within impoverished communities; supporting my community in general is one of my biggest life goals, and continues to grow and change as I strive towards greatness within myself and my community overall.

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Hey! I'm Karina I use she/her/hers I am a Junior at Henry High School. I wanted to join the YoUthROC because I wanted more latinx and chicanx representation in my community. My favorite song currently is Amarte a la antigua. I have recently just found this song again. When I was younger my mom use to play it and it reminds me of my childhood.

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Hey, my name is Malia, and I am a first-year student at the UMN. I am majoring in History and minoring in youth studies. I am also in the Direct Track to Teaching Program to become a high school social studies teacher. I am from south Minneapolis and graduated from RHS. I have always been surrounded by different forms of activism, especially growing up in my k-8 school that was social justice focused, South Side Family School. And it continued in high school especially when I did the YMCA Changemakers Institute where my initiative showed me my passion for restorative justice within the education system. Currently I think the whole Kali Uchis album Red Moon In Venus is my life soudtrack for where I am!

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Hi! My name is Jasmine Adam and I am a junior at the University of Minnesota studying Urban Studies and Public Health! I joined YoUthROC in September because I have always had an interest in education and youth studies! My own experiences in public schools have motivated me to think about ways to fix issues I saw in my own school. Educational disparities and the school-to-prison pipeline are things I have always had an interest in and YoUthROC is the perfect space to dig deeper into these issues. I am from South Minneapolis and will always call it my home!

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Hello! I'm Xia (they/she) and am a YoUthROC member. I am a first-gen Hmong-American. I recently graduated from the UMN with a BS in Elementary Education, TESL certificate, and RJUS minor. I plan to attend grad school in the near future to become an elementary ELL teacher. I joined YoUthROC to learn how I can support young people make social changes for a more socially and racially just world. I know that young people have the power and abilities to create the changes they want for themselves and communities. I am grateful for learning and being a part of this team. Some of my favorite artists to listen to are Gallant, Keshi, Eric Nam, and Yerin Baek.

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Hi! My name is Malaya and I am a junior at the University of Minnesota studying Elementary Education and African American Studies. I joined YoUthROC at the beginning of this year and I am very excited about being a part of the team. As a black biracial woman and future educator, I am very passionate about social justice issues and think it is crucial to prepare youth to advocate for their rights and equity within their schools and larger communities.

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Hi! My name is Jason (he/him) and I'm proudly Chinese-Vietnamese American. I recently finished my BA in Linguistics from UMN and am just starting my M.Ed in Second Language Education also at UMN. My goal is to become and ESL teacher at either the high school or middle school level. I got involved with YoUthROC when I was enrolled in Abby's class for the RJUS minor. I gravitated towards YoUthROC to better understand YPAR and how to better empower youth voices.

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Hello! My name is Bailey Hutson. I am a recent Elementary Education graduate from the University of Minnesota. I joined YoUthROC during the summer of 2020. One major reason I joined was to learn more about youth activism and find a way to implement justice oriented pedagogy into my future classroom, a topic that was never brought up throughout my time as a student. Working with the amazing researchers on the YoUthROC team has taught me so much more. It has been such a great opportunity to join a space full of understanding, supportive researchers and activists committed to taking a proactive approach to address the injustices occurring in our society, starting at the root, our education system.

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Hi! My name is Yasmin Smaller and I am currently a Sophomore at Henry High School in North Minneapolis. I was born and raised in North Minneapolis. I have always been passionate about social justice but wanted to take more action after leaving my middle school which was a very sheltered environment because I began to not just learn about injustices but I saw them.
instagram: yasmin.smaller

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Curriculum Change Fellow
Hey :) My name is Karla García (she/her). I identify as Mexican-American. I am in my senior year of high school and plan to attend Macalester College in the fall. One of my favorite books is The Line Become a River by Fransisco Cantú. I plan to study history and creative writing in college. In my free time, I write creative nonfiction and take my puppy for walks.

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Curriculum Change Fellow
Hello, My name is Marwa (she/her), and I am an incoming freshman at the University of Minnesota. I am excited to join YoUthROC because I have always been an active member of my community and have joined in many youth-centered programs, and I want to keep giving back to my community in as many ways as I can. My favorite song right now is experience by Victoria Monét. I think it is important to continue creating spaces for youth in our communities, and I am excited to see where this opportunity takes me.

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Thank you to our sustainability partners and sponsors!

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Thank you to our sustainability partners and sponsors!

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2026

4-H Extension and Hennepin County Libraries

2022-2025

AmeriCorps (with Dr. Anita Chikkatur, Carleton College)

2022-2024

Dean Rodriguez from UMN's College of Education and Human Development

Brooklyn Center Community Schools

2021-2022

Dept. of Curriculum & Instruction, UMN

Brooklyn Center Community Schools

2020-2022

YouthPrise

2018-2020

Liberty Church, 21st Century After School Program and Blue Cross Blue Shield

Institute of Advanced Studies, UMN

2018-2019

Sex trading, trafficking, and community wellbeing initiative at UROC with ongoing support from the Robert J. Jones Urban Outreach-Engagement Center

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Hi my name's Alanna Diggs. I'm a third year student at the University of Minnesota majoring in Youth Studies. I'm a South Minneapolis native and Minneapolis Public School (MPS) Alum! I have a background in racial justice activism which started as a sophomore at Roosevelt High School and has continued into adulthood. I have interest in working with BIPOC youth in underrepresented schools but would just like to work with youth wherever I can. Excited for what is to come with the YoUthROC team!

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Hello! My name is Nhia Chang, and I recently joined YoUthROC. I am a sophomore at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities majoring in elementary education. My pronouns are he/him/his. I am passionate about advocating for the needs of students. I love the topics on mental health, social justice, dismantling systemic racism and stigmas on mental health, and the power of youth. I hope the youth can be diligent, resilient, and committed to the growth and development of others and themselves. The youth are the world’s future innovators, leaders, and life-changers, so investing in the youth and working with students are some of my biggest passions. I love that YoUthROC is focused on anti-racism work and justice-oriented research, and I am thankful and excited for what’s to come! My favorite song is “Where Is The Love?” by Black Eyed Peas. I’m glad and excited to be a part of this amazing and inspiring research team!

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Hello! My name is Jessica (forre151@umn.edu) and I am a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota in STEM Education. I am the current graduate assistant with YoUthROC and I'm excited to be here! I love the mission of YoUthROC, especially putting the needs of youth at the center of their work and intentionally building kinship. Before coming to MN, I was an engineering students and taught for two years in DC, so I am ready and willing to use my past experiences to be an asset to this team. This work is super important when considering the identities and mindsets of BIPOC youth and I can't wait to see what the future holds. :)

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Hi! I am a Mexican-American youth researcher and on the leadership team at YoUthROC. I started YPAR research my senior year of high school. I am studying Political Science with minors of Spanish and Chicano Latino Studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. I am interested in immigration law and hope to become an immigration lawyer. I loves spending time with her family and friends. I love cooking and eating new foods!

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Publications

Chikkatur, A. P. & Rombalski, A., (2025) “Kinship and being together “otherwise” in community-university partnerships”, Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 31(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.3998/mjcsl.5649

"The Purple Room" https://vue.metrocenter.steinhardt.nyu.edu/article/id/25/

https://ci.umn.edu/youthroc-research-team-published-berkeley-review-education

In the news:

https://news.cehd.umn.edu/youthroc-to-receive-americorp-grant/

https://mndaily.com/244742/news/acyouthprojectstudy/

https://mndaily.com/262668/news/uroc-one-decade-as-a-community-institution/

http://aaopmn.org/2021/02/04/virtual-event-recap-youthrocs-storytelling-as-ethnic-studies/

https://pub.umn.edu/cehd/CEHD-Connect/files/basic-html/page25.html

https://www.facebook.com/mynorthnews/photos/volunteers-participating-in-a-youthroc-clean-up-sweep-a-section-of-north-morgan-/2361257160848733

https://news.cehd.umn.edu/youth-led-organization-engages-bipoc-students-as-leaders-for-social-change-in-education/

https://news.cehd.umn.edu/youthroc-publication-centers-bipoc-youth-in-community-and-school-spaces/

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Members (L-R): Jessica Forrester, Ronny Aragon, Keng Xiong, Amina Smaller, Shaunassey Johnson, and Savannah McCullough (Not all YoUthROC members are pictured).

Abby Rombalski, a lecturer in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I), has been working with youth towards racial justice across school, community, and digital spaces. She seeks to engage young people from diverse communities who are uniquely positioned to lead social change in their own neighborhoods and schools. Through her research, Rombalski found that young people need a dedicated space and targeted support to help them create sustainable social change. In addition, she found that schools and community spaces often need young people to envision and lead this change. This led Rombalski, alongside community and University youth, to found YoUthROC in 2019.

YoUthROC is housed in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and an affiliate to the Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach Engagement Center (UROC) in north Minneapolis. The program helps to advance UROC's mission to "link the University of Minnesota in vital public partnership with urban communities to advance learning, improve quality of life, and discover breakthrough solutions to critical problems."

The program relies on Youth-led Participatory Action Research (YPAR) as a way to provide support and training for anti-racist, justice-oriented youth research. Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) is a community-based social justice research framework that inclusively supports the leadership and knowledge of youth most impacted by disparities to develop solutions for social, cultural, and political transformation.

Shaunassey Johnson, a DirecTrack to Teaching student and co-founder of YoUthROC, got involved early in the planning process of the organization. "I had just transferred to the University of Minnesota and Abby, who'd known me since I was [in her 7th-grade class], asked if I would be interested in working with young, Northside women on a YPAR project and I jumped at the opportunity."

YoUthROC works in direct partnership with classes, schools, districts, and organizations. The organization is currently collaborating with Brooklyn Center Community Schools and their YPAR teams, Faribault YPAR team leaders, and students or teachers from Southwest, North High, and PYC Arts & Technology High School in Minneapolis to engage students through YPAR. YoUthROC's 2020 project asked, "In an uprising, how do youth move?" Using autoethnography, historical artifact cataloging, social media analysis, and focal groups, the team developed a curriculum about youth in social movements.

"In many cases, the education system burns kids out by the time they reach middle and high school," says Johnson. "I find it a perfect challenge to rekindle whatever this system flattened out of these kids with YPAR. YPAR is not about measuring academic knowledge; it is not about physical ability; It is about coming as you are and being open to trust, or learning to trust, and taking up a passion with a team of equals."

YoUthROC is always looking for more members. Contact Abby Rombalski to learn more . Follow them on Instagram @youthroc.umn.
Consider making a gift to support YoUthROC.

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Youth-led organization engages BIPOC students as leaders for social change in education

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Abby Rombalski, a lecturer in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I), has been working with youth towards racial justice across school, community, and digital spaces. She seeks to engage young people from diverse communities who are uniquely positioned to lead social change in their own neighborhoods and schools.

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I joined YoUthROC in the fall of 2019.  I love the internet, I love the Sims, and I love really strong, genuine relationships.
I feel like what keeps me here is the fact that I've grown up in North Minneapolis my entire life, and I’ve never really participated in the community. So it’s really nice to come here and be able to do work that will benefit the community, and I like being able to share those experiences with other people.
This work is important to me because as a future educator, I want to be able to guide my students to engage in social action. To be able to do that, I must be doing the work myself.

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Alison Criss, teacher (2022-)

Dr. Stefanie Marshall, University of Minnesota (2021-)

Dr. Anita Chikkatur, Carleton College (2019-)

Dr. Lauren Martin, University of Minnesota (2019-)

Dr. Brian Lozenski, Macalester College (2019-)

Dr. Rahsaan Mahadeo, UMN-Twin Cities (2025-)

2019-2020

Yvonne Jackson, Minneapolis Public Housing Authority

Montana Filoteo, UROC Research project affiliate

Beki Saito, Rainbow Research

April Smith, Snap Education

Hawona Sullivan Janzen, UROC

Xavier Porter, Growing Good

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I’m Natashia (she, her). I’m a student at the University of Minnesota and a new member of YoUthROC. I joined in hope of continuing to advocate for youth that look like me and may have similar experiences but in different contexts. YoUthROC provides the framework for what I want to do in the future and is allowing me to explore my different interests. My favorite song right now is “TenderHeaded” by Cam O’bi or “Fool For You” by Snoh Aalegra. In the past, groups I’ve been a part of that do parallel work have been shut down due to lack of support from administration. This work is so important and I want to see adults riding for it like youth do while also recognizing that youth are equally as capable, if not more capable, of effecting change as adults are. We aren't just the future, we are the present and our opinions should be valued as such.

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Peace all, I'm Abby (she/her), romba005@umn.edu. I am a co-founder of the YoUthROC Research Team and its faculty advisor. My role includes coaching facilitation, research, teaching, and organizing strategies, as well as networking to support team goals. I strive to sustain meaningful community connections while raising opportunities for young people to accentuate their assets and reimagine our futures. I was a middle and high school teacher for 15 years, mostly in Minneapolis, before coming to the U of MN in 2013. My background is in critical literacy,  urban education, youth Participatory Action Research (yPAR), and interracial youth organizing. I earned my Ph.D. in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, UMN, where I am a lecturer in the Racial Justice in Urban Schooling minor. I am a mom and an an organizer with Education Liberation MN.

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2026 Satellite Sites! CI 3101's Issues in Urban Ed class with students from Great River Schools and Minneapolis Public Schools at Webber Park Library

2025: Shamyra Melton, Laichia Vang, Ariel Thigpen, Yaz Abdullahi, Sajdah Shariff, Chufue Lo, Spirit Jordan, Angel Coria, Karina Coria-Hernandez.

Fall 2024: Mirabella Bogucki, Shamyra Melton, Josiah Gulyard, Laichia Vang, Ariel Thigpen, Nakyla Chopin, Yas Abdullahi, and Sajdah Shariff.

Spring 2024 Partners included fall 2023 folks and: Students from Franklin Middle School, POPLI Girls in Action and Boys for Hope, AFC/YTOP, PYC, Camden/Henry, North, and Brooklyn Center Community Schools, along with UMN's Youth Studies Program and Augsburg Bonner Leaders Program including Will Mercil

Fall 2023: J Pope, Alexis Rojas, Shamyra Melton, Lizzie Xiong, Karina Hernandez, Malia Knoblauch Killian, Kai Johnson (and a welcome partnership with the Augsburg Bonner Leaders Program)

2022-2023: Lee'RayVone Gibson, Alexis Rojas, Shamyra Melton, Lizzie Xiong, Karina Hernandez, Daniel Hernandez, Christian Gulyard (and a welcome partnership with Amina Smaller and the BCCS YPAR team summer '23)

Spring 2022: Co-founders and Yasmin Smaller, Ronny Rodriguez Aragon, Malaya Merriwether, Xia Lor, and Donte McCarty. Curriculum fellows Friday Gora, Elijah Holmes, and Jayla Pope

Fall 2021: Co-founders and Yasmin Smaller, Ronny Rodriguez Aragon, Keng Xiong, Aiyana Basa, and Alanna Diggs with participants from the BC YPAR Baddies and the Faribault Latinx and Somali YPAR Teams.

Spring 2021: Shaunassey Johnson, Eva García, Alanna Diggs, Nhia Chang, Yasmin Smaller, Savannah McCullough, and YoUthROC GA Jessica Forrester, along with our new Curriculum for Social Change fellows Karla and Marwa and returning YoUthROC members in the creation of our youth in social movement curriculum (Jason, Bailey, Mychi, Makena, Zoë, Amina, and more).

2020:  Shaunassey Johnson, Eva García, Amina Smaller, Leo O'Ryan, Awa Mally, Bailey Hudson, Jonashka Maldonado, Lavarea Moorman, Autumn Person, Alejandro Eduarte, and Jason To

2019 Community members: Alejandro, Amina, Arieana, Destiny, Gwen, Mara, Jakere, Jessie, Myshaun, Keem, Ro, Arieana, Janaan, Grace, Esha, Savannah, Victoria, Jayla, Lola, and Janicea; UMN/community members: Jae-Lah, Kiarra, Mychi, Jonashka, Shauanssey, and Natashia

The inaugural team included: Victoria and Jayla Pope, sisters and longtime north Minneapolis residents; Esha Dabbs, Grace Coleman, and Savannah McCullough, Appetite for Change youth leaders who have worked in the community for years and are graduates of #RenameHenryHigh; Amina Smaller, longtime resident of north Minneapolis; Shaunassey Johnson, also a longtime resident, FAIR School graduate and current U of M student; Akim Anderson,  longtime kinship resident of the northside and youth worker from 21st Century After School Academy on 37th and Bryant.  Abby Rombalski from the University of MN is a mentor and co-researcher. A number of other youth have participated and worked alongside us as well. A special thanks to the session of participants from across the nation who came to hear about our research at fmfp.org!

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My name is Ieshia (Esha) Dabbs, I use she/her pronouns, and I joined YoUthROC because I need to see more accessible youth space for the young people in my community. I am a youth training and opportunity program facilitator for appetite for change and a found of the YoUthROC research team. My favorite song is Friends by JCole:
“ blame it on the fact of 12 got jurisdiction to ride around the neighborhood that they never lived in........ there’s all types of drama and trauma the children see the type of stuff they normally will cause for therapy but you know just how it go in our community keep that stuff inside it don’t matter how hard it be.”
Because of my work with Appetite for Change and YoUthROC, I am able to connect with youth better and understand their needs and wants for a space of their own. I’m excited to continue being a voice for youth who need to be heard.

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"It takes a big heart to make a big change." -Grace
I became part of YoUthROC because I want an accessible youth space for people in my community. My favorite song right now is I Am Light by India Arie. "I'm not the mistakes that  have made, Or any of the things that cause me pain"  I'm a youth leader at Appetite for Change. If feeds me here because we really get to be ourselves. It's connected because at AFC we work for young people and they also say they don't have space.

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I am part of the youthroc research team and this is my first time actually doing something to help change something about the community and helping other youth. My favorite song is hit em up by Tupac and my favorite artists are Lauryn Hill, Tupac, J.cole, and Kendrick Lamar. I enjoy working with this team because I am able to work with youth to help other youth.

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My name is Savannah McCullough. I am a part of UROC’s YPAR team. I decided to be part of this movement because I truly believe we the youth are the future and the things we want and need are important. And I love working with the rest of my team. We have great ideas and are all on the same track and that track is to make a CHANGE. Currently my favorite song(s) is Erykah Badu's tiny desk live concert. She sings rim shot & green eyes which are my favorite songs from her. "My eyes are green, cause i eat a lot of vegetables..."

One experience I have had developing youth research was surveying youth and going into their schools interacting with students and getting to know what they want in youth spaces as well as where they do and do not feel welcomed.

I am also a youth leader at Appetite for Change, and I work in our Youth training and opportunities program and we have the same connection as the YPAR team as far as creating a space where youth feel safe and welcomed. Doing this work is definitely something I love and care about.

Savannah McCullough has been a youth leader with the northside Minneapolis organization Appetite for Change and their program Community Cooks alongside being a YoUthROC member and partner. She has recently begun working in after-school programming with a local school district and is working on her undergraduate degree in order to take the next step in a professional licensing program in school counseling.

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I am a founding member working for and with YoUthROC, to take an active role in the community that raised me. My favorite song is either Find Someone Like You by Snoh Aalegra or BMO by Ari Lennox. An Indigenous elder from Southern California once told me that a generation of young people with old souls will be the one that changes the world. One of our responsibilities is to harness that energy, honesty, and authenticity.

Amina Smaller is a learner, educator, and researcher from North Minneapolis. She began her journey in education justice during her senior year of high school through Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR). Through YPAR work, she was introduced to other education justice folx around the Twin Cities and was eager to be a part of those communities. Amina is currently a YPAR Coordinator with Brooklyn Center Community Schools and part of a Grow Your Own teacher program.

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I am part of the UROC research team. I enjoy working towards finding a good sustainable place for  Minneapolis youth to strive and feel welcome, like I've experienced when I was at my youth group. My favorite song artists are Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Beyoncé. I have never really worked with trying to make a change so I'm glad to be doing this research to change things and have other youth change things.

NOTE: Victoria conceptualized and painted our logo!  @queenvicky_131 on Instagram.

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I am a YoUthROC research founding team member, YoUthroc is important to me because it is my first time directly working for and in a community that my family and I have always been a part of. My favorite song right now is “Pretty Ugly” by Tierra Whack. Something about the experience I have had in youth groups geared in social action is the short term-ness of them; I have worked with a lot of youth in my high school and middle school career and there was a consistent pattern of short-lived time with the people I worked with. I would love to see more sustainability in future work I do and people I work with.

Shaunassey Johnson, M.Ed., was a youth researcher who grew up and still lives in North Minneapolis. She completed her undergraduate degree in African American & African Studies (AAAS) at the University of Minnesota and is interested in Black feminist and socialist theory and learning. Shaunassey is currently a Social Studies teacher and has worked with YoUthROC since 2019.

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YoUthROC is a community and University-connected youth research team that supports the growth of Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) and is committed to youth, kinship, and justice in education. The team centers Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) youth and other marginalized communities. YoUthROC is an affiliate program to the University of Minnesota’s Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC) in North Minneapolis and CEHD's Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

Connect on Instagram @youthroc.umn or Twitter @umnyouthroc

We are guided by words from elder Dr. Josie R. Johnson:

For the ancestors who struggled for me
For the future generations for whom I struggle
Always in love and always for justice

The team aims to:

1. Provide support and training for anti-racist, justice-oriented youth research;

2. Conduct YPAR projects that center and showcase the power of BIPOC youth through accessible and culturally relevant research methods;

3. Model kinship, nourish connections, and sustain reciprocal community partnerships; and

4. Reclaim Northside spaces and return them to spaces that serve the community's BIPOC youth.

2019 Project: Youth in Community Space: What is important in developing an accessible, sustainable space

for youth within a community space?

YoUthROC’s 2020-2021 project asked, “In an uprising, how do youth move?” Using autoethnography, historical artifact cataloging, social media analysis, and focal groups, the team is developing a curriculum about youth in social movements.

YoUthROC's 2022-2023 Project developed the concept of Youthful Joy and partnered with the BCCS YPAR team (and their research on restorative practices) to craft a working concept and educator's PD/toolkit about Restorative Joy.

In 2023-2024 YoUthROC explored hidden curriculum and what that means for us as students in north Minneapolis and in the urban core. In 2025 our next step is to identify ways for assets of culture and community to be more accessible to young people and in our schools.

Connect with us on Insta or email youthroc@umn.edu.

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YoUthROC is a community and University-connected youth research team that supports the growth of Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) and is committed to youth, kinship, and racial justice in education. The team centers Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) youth and other marginalized communities. YoUthROC is an affiliate program to the University of Minnesota's Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC) in North Minneapolis and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
The team aims to:

1. Provide support and training for anti-racist, justice-oriented youth research;

2. Conduct YPAR projects that center and showcase the power of BIPOC youth through accessible and culturally relevant research methods;

3. Model kinship, nourish connections, and sustain reciprocal community partnerships; and

4. Reclaim Northside spaces and return them to spaces that serve the community's BIPOC youth.

We are guided by words of elder, scholar, author and civil rights leader Josie R. Johnson:
For the ancestors who struggled for me
For the future generations for whom I struggle
Always in love and always for justice

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YoUthROC is a community and University-connected youth research team that supports the growth of Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) and is committed to youth, kinship, and racial justice in education. The team centers Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) youth and other marginalized communities.