Action Research, Ahead of Print.
The Mindset Revolution project aimed to strengthen youth voice on mental health policy and practice. We worked with a diverse group of young people to co-create digital and in-person spaces of participatory democracy and action research. We combined play, art and creativity to challenge power dynamics and name structural racism, sexism, ageism, classism, and ableism as forces in institutional practice in the mental health system. Our approach reflected the participatory ethos and ambition for social transformation underpinned by Action Research with a concern for Transformations (ART). By taking an assemblage perspective, the paper highlights the relational and situated nature of participatory democracy and action research, warning against top-down designs and advocating for context-specific and emergent practices that can foster sustainable social change. The paper emphasises the complexity of achieving policy impact, highlighting barriers such as limited space and time for trust-building processes, limited resources, and stringent funding requirements. It advocates for a flexible, long-term approach that integrates diverse, intersectional and radically inclusive spaces of participation, embedded in the community that can take ownership beyond small-scale projects. Transformative change in youth mental health can only occur when it is co-created with and owned by young people and their communities.