You are under observation

While I was walking on Main Street this morning, I noticed this group of local teenagers taking notes about passers-by. Led by Justin Carbonella of the City's Youth Services Bureau, they are part of a summer-long program in research and community action, called Participatory Action Research.

Clipboards in hand, the students are observing the sights, sounds and overall mood of the foot traffic from a number of Main Street spots. It's more than just an observation exercise -- the next step is to use their data to consider ways to improve the quality of life in town. Last summer's research culminated in the Community Assets and Teen Stereotype project that I wrote about last Fall. For more information, check out Justin Carbonella's blog.