"Out-of-the-mainstream" youth as partners in collaborative research: Exploring the benefits and challenges

Forming collaborations between university-based researchers and community-b ased organizations (CBOs) serves es to improve health promotion research an d service. Unfortunately, members of the targeted populations an typically not included in such collaborations. This article describes the development and maintenance of a successful university-CBO collaboration that was form ed to explore HIV-related risk rates and prevention strategies for suburban street youth and discusses the benefits and challenges of including out-of -the-mainstream youth as full collaborative partners in the research. Speci fic benefits included population-specific modifications of the research met hods and instruments, recruitment of hard-to-reach youth, greater ease in t racking participants, and increased project acceptability and credibility. Among the challenges wen issues related to boundaries, confidentiality, com mitment, and burnout. Although such collaborations require increased time a nd commitment, the synergistic knowledge and experience of university resea rchers, community-based service providers, and out-of-the-mainstream youth can result in the development of unique and informative research and servic e programs.