What makes youth connect with their community and what makes them disconnect? That’s what Grande Prairie Regional College is hoping to find out through their latest round of research. It will receive more than $200,000 over a two year period to look at how children and teens in places like Grande Prairie and Jasper interact with their community.
During the project, researchers will talk to people who work with young people on a daily basis. They will then talk to both engaged and disengaged youth. The college’s past research shows that places with a high population of disengaged youth can lead to higher crime and poverty rates.
Director of GPRC Research and Innovation Dr. Andrew Dunlop says this new grant will also allow the college to extend its research into a new area.
“This project will break new ground in social science methodology, and for the first time, extend one of GPRC’s major research initiatives into the West Yellowhead area.”
This new round of funding came from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
