This colloquium explores practical lessons from three projects that model community–university collaboration in participatory action research (PAR). The Community-Academic Partnerships to Advance Equity-Focused Climate Action (CAPECA) initiative (2022–2024) supported twelve place-based teams across California in developing community-led climate resilience strategies through PAR, popular education, and social equity frameworks. Building on CAPECA, an ongoing partnership with the Mycelium Youth Network engages youth in participatory climate research that fosters environmental literacy and intergenerational leadership. The Roots y Resistencia project extends these participatory frameworks through a Latinx research–practice partnership that co-develops anti-racist interventions using mixed methods and collaborative inquiry. Together, these projects illuminate how participatory approaches can move partnerships from collaboration to co-governance to redistribute power in research, amplifying community expertise, and advancing justice-oriented scholarship that strengthens collective resilience.