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Although research suggests neighborhood‐level factors influence youth well‐being, few studies include youth when creating interventions to address these factors. We describe our three‐step process of collaborating with youth in low‐income communities to develop an intervention focused on civic engagement as a means to address neighborhood‐level problems impacting their well‐being. In the first step, we analyzed qualitative interviews from a project in which youth shared perceptions about their neighborhoods (e.g., interpersonal relations with neighbors and institutions). Three major themes were identified: pride in youth's communities, desire for change, and perceptions of power and responsibility. Based on these themes, we completed the second step: developing a civic engagement and leadership program, called LEAP, aimed at helping youth take an active role in addressing neighborhood problems. In the third step, we collaborated with youth who completed a pilot version of the civic program and provided feedback to finalize it for large‐scale testing. While discussing our process, we highlight the importance of including youth voices when developing programs that affect them. Furthermore, we note the need for more research exploring whether civic engagement serves as a mechanism for encouraging youth involvement in addressing neighborhood‐level health disparities and identifying potential psychological costs of such involvement. Highlights: Youth should have a voice in the creation and implementation of programs intended for them.Neighborhoods may impact youth wellbeing through resource availability and a negative social mirror.Developing programs through academic‐youth partnerships can facilitate aligning with youth's goals.Youth can identify and problem‐solve their neighborhood challenges as civic leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among students receiving behavioral health and special education services, racial/ethnic minority students are consistently overrepresented in settings separate from general classrooms. Once separated, many young people struggle to improve academically and face significant difficulty upon trying to return to a general education setting. Given the complex, ongoing, and multifaceted nature of this challenge, racial/ethnic disproportionality can be identified as a "wicked problem," for which solutions are not easily identified. Here, we describe our community‐engaged research efforts, eliciting perspectives from relevant partners in an ongoing dialogue, to better integrate diverse stakeholders' perspectives when attempting to address such disparities. We conducted focus groups and qualitative interviews with members of three stakeholder groups: community‐serving organizations, individuals with lived experience of behavioral health conditions, and state‐level policymakers, with a shared interest in addressing racial and ethnic disparities. Participant responses illustrated the "wickedness" of this problem and highlighted the need for additional supports for students, families, and school personnel, increased collaboration across relevant systems and agencies, and reduced barriers related to funding. Overall, this methodology bridged differing perspectives to develop, in concert with our partners, a shared language of the problem and a core set of issues to consider when seeking to effect change. Highlights: Racial/ethnic disparities in educational placement represent a complex, "wicked" problem.Eliciting perspectives from diverse stakeholders can generate ideas for addressing wicked problems.Stakeholder recommendations targeted students, school personnel, systems/agencies, and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]