Rural youth participation in youth justice research: Towards a rights-based approach

This article aims to contribute to youth justice policy making for rural Australia. We use Doel-Mackaway’s rights-based model for the participation of First Nations young people in public decision-making to critically reflect on No Dramas, a participatory action research project conducted in regional Queensland. The project involved young people cocreating community justice and health messages with a creative arts team. On reflection, we conclude that the No Dramas design and implementation supported the realisation of young people’s rights. To achieve a rights-based approach, youth justice research must be approached as a social justice activity in and of itself.