Abstract

Abstract
Understanding and Communicating Risk Factors Affecting Youth in Comuna 13 Through Participatory Research
Stephanie Cajiao

Each community defines the meaning of risk according to its history, social-economic concerns and current lived realities. I went in to Comuna 13 having a historical and sociopolitical understanding of the area, which shaped my ideas of what the risks were for the youth in such an environment, as well as what my role should be, having done my best to familiarize myself with Freire’s and Fals Borda’s ideas of popular education and participatory action research (PAR). I was aware, however, that my ideas didn’t go beyond assumptions, and these assumptions changed considerably as I got to know the participants and the research we did as a collective.
This thesis details my attempt to use participatory action methodology in order to have the youth themselves investigate and reflect on their own realities to explain the main risk factors that plague their community and peers. This thesis asks: Using a PAR methodology, how can youth investigate what the main risk factors in Comuna 13 are for them and their peers? How do they want to communicate these factors and to whom?