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| Primary Outcome Area: Teens | ||
| Activities
Provided: In New York, the focus of the Youth Voices Project is
to create an active voice for youth in program determination, implementation,
evaluation and policy development. Two Cornell Cooperative Extension
(CCE) Associations, Erie and Jefferson counties, have established
positive youth development projects in high-need communities for young
people, 13-17 years old. In each of these communities, core groups
of youth have been formed and are undertaking a variety of projects
to increase youth voice and civic participation. The Youth Voices
Project was nominated as one of New York State's "2002 4-H Programs
of Excellence."
In Erie County, a core group of high-need youth has been trained in 4-H Public Adventures and 4-H youth development and leadership training. These youth are conducting community service projects, photographic assets mapping, administrating mini-grants for other youth-serving organizations, and facilitating expansion of the program throughout the county with hard-to reach, nontraditional audiences. As of October 2002, the Erie County Youth Voices Project had established ten Youth Voices project sites, trained 88 youth in Public Adventures, completed 12 community service projects, awarded eight mini-grants for a total of $17,500 and established 35 community collaborations. In Jefferson County, the Youth Voices Theatre Group (consisting of 10 to 12 actors aged 14-17 years) uses interactive, community-based theater to promote positive youth development and decrease risk behaviors. The Youth Voices Theatre Group is using 4-H youth development skills and interactive theater to foster awareness and reduce risk behaviors among children and youth. The actors use data from the Communities That Care (CTC) survey to identify the topics for their performances. The group currently has 8 scripts on topics such as sexual harassment, sexuality, smoking, eating disorders, alcohol abuse, and family violence. Performances are held throughout the state and county at elementary, middle and high schools, as well as at collaborating community organizations and agencies. The group also administers a mini-grants program to other youth-serving organizations that, in turn, complete community improvement and service projects. As of October 2002, the Jefferson County Youth Voices Project has given over 50 Youth Voices Theater Group performances, reached over 1200 audience members, awarded 11 mini-grants for a total of $22,500 and established 30 community collaborations. |
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| The focus of the Youth Voices Project is to create an active voice for youth in program determination, implementation, evaluation and policy development. Other goals of the project are to encourage community members to view youth as resources, and to provide a vehicle for young people to have a voice in their community's future. | ||
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The
evaluation of the Youth Voices project follows the five-tier model
presented in the Community-Based Project Evaluation Guide (Callor,
Betts, Carter, Marczak, Peterson, & Richmond, 2000). Logic models
have been developed to demonstrate how the program inputs and activities
will lead to the desired outcomes.
It is a participatory evaluation in that local project coordinators have a strong voice and have input in creation of the logic models, data collection, and data analysis. Youth are involved in the evaluation process. For example, Erie County youth were given disposable cameras to conduct an assets mapping of their communities. The youth were asked to photograph what they viewed as their neighborhoods' assets and deficits. The photos were developed and then brainstorming sessions with youth were held. Through these sessions, the photographs were sorted into "like groups" of "things we can fix" and "things we can't fix." Next the youth prioritized the photos in terms of community service projects to address the "things we can fix." At the beginning and end of the year, measures of social competency and risk behaviors among youth are collected. Additional methods of data collection include an audience evaluation form (used at performances of the Youth Voices Theatre Group), monthly reporting template for program monitoring administered via email, and interviews with county staff, young people and community collaborators. |
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To assess program effectiveness | |||
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Program planning | |||
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Program modification | |||
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Documentation in grant proposal writing | |||
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Reports to collaborators and funders | |||
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Marketing to potential funders | |||
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For support to replicate programming | |||
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| June
P. Mead, Ph.D. 195 S. Washington St. Binghamton, NY 13903 Email: jm62@cornell.edu Tel: 607-772-8036 Fax: 607-772-8243 Web Site: http://www.human.cornell.edu/youthvoices |
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