Reclaiming Youth Narratives in Urban Communities of Color

Introduction

Tyson McCrea and colleagues (2025) challenge long-standing assumptions that youth of color in high-poverty urban U.S. communities are inherently violent. Grounded in youth participatory action research (YPAR), the study centers young people’s voices to contest what the authors refer to as “scientific racism”; biases in research that ignore youth goals, minimize their struggles, and depict them as violence-prone. This work provides a corrective by documenting how youth actively reject violence, articulate personal and community goals, and persist under extreme stress.

Methods

This study leveraged data from “Saving Lives, Inspiring Youth” (SLIY), a  cross-age mentoring after school and summer program our African American and Latine urban communities experiencing poverty and high crime rates.  Participants included mentors (n = 249; ages ~17) and mentees (n = 219; ages ~11). Quantitative measures assessed violence attitudes and stress exposure; qualitative data came from mentor letters, field notes, and focus groups. YPAR guided the process, youth co-created research questions, analyzed data, and coauthored findings.

Results

Quantitative data showed that the majority of youth strongly rejected violence and gang affiliation. The majority of mentees and mentors “believed there were better ways to solve problems than fighting”.  Stress levels were exceptionally high, with youth reporting hunger, grief, violence, and systemic racism as daily realities.

Qualitative findings revealed a powerful sense of purpose. Among mentors, no mentors reported a need for help in reducing violence perpetration. Instead mentors reported positive goals like exiting proverty, alleviating suffering among youth, and exercise strengths for personal fulfillment. Mentees reported wanting a strong relational connection and to engage in fun activities. Taken together mentors and mentees seemed to be pursuing both 1) Positive life goals through achievement and 2) Experiences of relating, intimacy and caring.

Discussion

The study dismantles deficit narratives. Youth are not predisposed to violence; they are navigating overwhelming structural barriers while striving for growth. Their words call attention to the true sources of risk: poverty, racism, and lack of access to basic supports.

Rather than portraying resilience as an individual trait, youth described it as collective resistance. Their voices reframe resilience as mutual care and survival in the face of systemic neglect. Programs that aim to help must reflect this reality.

Implications for Mentoring Programs

Effective mentoring programs, especially those working with low income youth, must move beyond the deficit discourse and bias that low income youth struggle to avoid perpetrating violence. Instead programs must support youth in addressing significant environmental challenges that impact stress on a daily basis for low-income youth, and support these youth in working towards their many positive goals. Programs should offer safe spaces, basic resources, and genuine relationships designed in collaboration with youth.

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