Empowering youth as Changemakers for gender-transformative action: a play-based participatory approach in South-East Nepal.

Aims: This study explored how youth participatory action research (YPAR) methods, specifically play-based activities integrated with cricket, can engage adolescent girls in Nepal's Terai region to identify and address gender-related health challenges. It aimed to assess how these methods contribute to empowering girls, developing research capacities, and promoting gender equity through sports.

Methods: Three interactive workshops were held with adolescent girls forming 'Cricket Changemakers' teams. Through a combination of cricket-based activities, participatory games, and discussions, the workshops aimed to build research skills and explore gender issues in their communities. Qualitative data were gathered through observations, reflective notes, and outputs from play-based tasks. Data were analysed using framework analysis to evaluate the contribution of these activities to key YPAR processes such as power sharing, communication, and strategic thinking.

Findings: The play-based methods improved collaboration, networking, and communication among participants. The cricket activities fostered collective power and provided opportunities for girls to reflect on and challenge local gender norms. Participants identified issues including restrictions on mobility, societal expectations, and the unequal distribution of household chores. The workshops facilitated the development of research action plans focused on increasing girls' participation in cricket and shifting community perceptions of girls' roles.

Conclusions: The integration of play-based YPAR methods shows promise for fostering gender-transformative change among adolescent girls in Nepal. These methods created a space for girls to express challenges and co-develop strategies for social change. Findings suggest that sports-based participatory research can be a valuable tool in public health interventions for gender equity, though more work is needed to address methodological challenges and ensure meaningful participation.