National Adult Literacy Database

This document outlines a collaborative research project carried out in Surrey, British Columbia, with the goal of mapping the opportunities and supports that facilitate positive development for youth in the community.

Ten young people were trained to be co-researchers in the project, taking part in the research design; recruiting interview respondents; collecting, transcribing, and analyzing data; and developing a knowledge-transfer strategy.

Through interviews and focus group sessions, they collected data from 174 of their peers. Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographical Information System (GIS) technology were used to map the locations within Surrey’s neighbourhoods where positive resources in the form of people, places, and activities could be found.

The study found that youth’s primary resources were found in informal settings such as shopping centres, their own homes, or the homes of friends, and in such formal settings as work, schools, and sport and recreation facilities.