“Being like Allies, as Opposed to Like Our Enemies”: Community-Based System Dynamics for Engaging Marginalized Youth in Public Health Systems Change in Washington, D.C.

Marginalized youth experience persistent systemic health disparities. Therefore, an academic–community partnership was formed with Black Swan Academy (BSA), a youth-led community-based organization (CBO) in Washington, D.C., to implement and examine community-based system dynamics (CBSD) as a useful participatory advocacy tool for engaging marginalized youth in public health systems change. BSA’s ability to share power with youth throughout the process, as informed by French and Raven’s Five Power Bases Theory, was also examined. Three CBSD sessions, “variable elicitation,” “connection circles,” and “causal loop diagrams,” were implemented in January and February 2023. Using a qualitative case study design, two focus groups were conducted: one with eight BSA youth and one with five BSA adult staff (N = 13). Open responses from CBSD post-session surveys, twenty-seven documents, and 46 photos were also analyzed. A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted. CBSD was a useful tool for engaging youth in conversations regarding the social determinants of health. BSA youth identified a desire for public health changes related to community engagement, safety, mental health and wellness resources, and control over educational decisions. The process yielded benefits for BSA youth at the individual, interpersonal, and advocacy levels of the socioecological model. CBSD allowed BSA adults to share expert power and build legitimate power with youth. CBSD is an effective engagement tool. Additional training for youth and adults is needed to sustainably embed CBSD as a participatory advocacy tool within CBOs to achieve actualized public health systems change.