Table 1 Key learnings, dilemmas and strategies drawing on our experiences as researchers facilitating a youth advisory group

Adapt working style

We faced the challenge of bringing 16 young people, who were previously unfamiliar with one another and cultivating a culture of mutual respect conducive to their roles as co-researchers. Acknowledging the casual nature of their involvement and their other commitments, we adapted our working style to ensure maximal engagement throughout the 12-month period

1. Employing a tiered approach to engagement, providing multiple avenues for participation during Zoom meetings, including verbal contributions, chat interactions, and the option to keep cameras on or off based on individual comfort levels

2. Leveraging various features of Slack, such as group chats and private messaging by the moderator, to foster rapport among participants and stimulate engagement and collaboration

3. Challenging traditional hierarchical communication structures (such as formal email communication) by fostering open dialogue and knowledge exchange on Slack, while maintaining a culture of respect and professionalism

4. Striking a balance between the use of collaborative digital tools such Google Docs and Mural, ensuring the protection of sensitive research data through robust data privacy and security measures

Redefining power dynamics

We endeavoured to involve our youth advisors as co-researchers, extending the opportunity for co-authorship in scientific publications to those who met the authorship criteria. However, this presented a dilemma, as researchers, we have significant expertise in the scientific publication process, requiring us to mentor our youth advisors on navigating this complex process

1. Providing support and guidance to our youth advisors without imposing our own perspectives, ensuring their autonomy in shaping their contributions to the publications

2. Assisting youth advisors in crafting statements to be included in published manuscripts (e.g. Boxes), thereby clearly delineating their contributions and interpretations of the findings

3. Selecting journals with inclusive authorship policies that recognise the valuable input of young people or consumers, thereby fostering a supportive publishing environment

4. Overcoming setbacks encountered with journals lacking such policies, which often categorised youth co-authors as research participants, necessitating additional ethics clearance and parental consent

5. Advocating on behalf of our youth advisors to journals, emphasising their significant role and contributions to the research, thereby encouraging recognition and acceptance of their involvement

6. Providing educational workshops or resources to youth advisors on the publication process to empower them with knowledge and skills

Disrupting traditional research structures

In our efforts to operate our youth advisory group effectively and equitably, we needed to secure adequate funding and research capacity, a challenge we addressed by leveraging an existing grant. However, this solution presented a dilemma: how could we ensure the sustainability of our 12-month youth advisory model to support our future research endeavours?

1. Conducting a formal evaluation to gather evidence on the benefits of youth involvement in research, ensuring safe and effective engagement—a crucial consideration for researchers seeking to engage young people meaningfully

2. Promoting the involvement of youth advisors within our institution and beyond to ensure recognition of their valuable contributions, while advocating for the rights of young people to participate in matters that affect them directly

3. Implementing succession planning to address the issue of youth advisors aging out of their roles, ensuring continuity and providing opportunities for new youth advisors to engage in research initiatives, thereby fostering a dynamic and inclusive research environment

4. Creating a platform or network for former youth advisors to stay connected and continue contributing to research initiatives in advisory or mentorship roles, thereby harnessing their expertise and experience for the benefit of future projects