Study Identifies Opportunities And Needs For Youth Programs

By Rebecca N. Saito and Eugne C. Roehlkepartain
(From October 1995, Source Newsletter) Late childhood and early adolescence are exciting and challenging times for young people and their families. For many young people, these years provide the opportunity to lay a positive foundation for their future. For others, however, these years expose them to increasing risks that threaten their long-term well-being and, increasingly, even their lives.

More and more parents, youth workers, educators, and community leaders are asking what can be done to assure that more young people successfully negotiate the transition from childhood to adulthood. For many, a key resource for addressing this need is the vast array of activities that are-or could be-available to support, guide, and challenge young people.

Search Institute has just released a study of youth development programs in Minneapolis titled Places to Grow that sheds light on both the potential for and barriers to participation in these programs. Conducted on behalf of the city's mayor and the Youth Coordinating Board, the study profiles the opportunities and gaps in programming for Minneapolis' youth.

Minneapolis faces the same challenge faced by cities across the nation. From the time the bell rings to end the school day until parents and other caregivers return home from work, many of Minneapolis' young people are on their own.

These hours represent an important opportunity for forming positive relationships with adults and peers, developing skills, and contributing to the community through youth programs. Yet 51 of all youth say they don't participate in any type of youth program in a typical week. Forty-one percent report no involvement in youth programs during the summer.

Why aren't young people more involved? What opportunities are available to them? What are the barriers to their participation? And what can be done to increase involvement?


Are There Enough Youth Programs?

A first question to ask is whether enough programs are available. Search Institute sought to identify all youth development opportunities within Minneapolis, including libraries and museums; parks; schools; community-based programs; religious youth programs; and city-wide programs.

About 350 programs were identified, though there are likely many more. On average across the city, there is one program for every 87 youth. Thus, while many programs are available, there are not enough to meet the needs of all youth.

Both youth and their parents agree that there are not enough programs. About half of them (45 percent of parents and 57 percent of youth) believe there are not enough programs available during the school year. They are more satisfied with summer program availability.

However, parents in families with the lowest incomes (under $10,000) are least likely to be satisfied with program availability. Only 39 percent of these parents believe there are enough programs during the school year. About half of these parents (48 percent) say there are enough summer programs.

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Barriers To Participation

Program availability is not the only reason young people do not participate in programs. We asked middle school youth why they don't participate in more youth development programs. The most common barriers cited by youth were a lack of interest in available activities, transportation, and a lack of knowledge about what is available. Several quotes from focus groups of youth echoed the survey responses: Parents generally see similar barriers, though the order is different. Parents are more likely to view transportation and costs as greater barriers than are youth. Program costs and transportation were more frequently cited as barriers for families with lower incomes. Families with higher incomes were more likely to mention lack of interest and time as barriers.

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What Young People Want

While many youth say they do not participate because "nothing interests me," they also express interest in a wide array of activities. In fact, more than 50 percent of the youth said they would be interested in more of 11 different activities out of 14 possibilities.

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Many young people expressed significant interest in spending more time with their parents/guardians and other caring adults. In all, 65 percent of youth say they would like to spend more time with "an adult I can trust and who respects me." Almost the same number (59 percent) say they would like to spend more time with their parents/guardians.

The desire to be with parents/guardians and other caring adults is particularly strong among the youngest youth (third grade). Eighty-three percent of third graders want to spend more time with their parents, and 80 percent want to spend more time with a caring adult. These percentages fall to 38 percent and 44 percent respectively by eighth grade.

While the interest in spending more time with adults be a surprise to some, they underscore two realities that many young people face. First, our age-segregated society provides few opportunities for them to build significant relationships with adults. Second, many parents do to have (or take) enough time to be with their children.

In addition to interests in building relationships with adults, young people express more interest in activities that would enhance their peer relationships. Young people give strong support for more informal programs or places where their time is not overly structured, where they can stop by, hang out, and be more spontaneous in choosing what they want to do. In focus groups, young people made it clear that their time is so structured during the school day that what they really want is a safe place just to "chill" and relax with peers, where there are things to do if they wanted, and where they could come and go as they please. As one young person put it: "I want a place where you feel comfortable, a place that's familiar, a place where you know the people there, a place where you can come and go, and not have to stay the whole time and do only what the staff tells you to do."

While young people are most interested in informal activities, many are interested in structured activities as well. These include taking lessons, playing sports, dances, youth-led programs, and youth service.

Perhaps the strongest, clearest message from the focus groups was that young people want programs specifically for their age group. They believe many programs serve too wide of an age range so 12 and 13 year olds are in the same programs with 9 and 10 year olds. These programs were perceived to be for "little kids."

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Responding To The Needs

The need for youth development opportunities is clear and the interest is strong. These programs can have a lasting impact on young people's well-being, yet too few of Minneapolis' youth-like young people across the nation-participate in these structured activities. Several recommendations grow out of this study:
  1. Highlight The Importance Of Youth Development Programs-Youth development programs are an essential ingredient in a community's commitment to young people. That's an important message in a time of tight and decreasing budgets for services for children, youth, and families. These programs in community centers, community agencies, youth-serving organizations, congregations, and other settings represent cost-effective approaches to addressing the youth issues that trouble most communities.

  2. Identify And Promote Available Opportunities-The Minneapolis study underscores how little is known about available programs in communities. A key challenge, then, is for youth program providers of all types to join in a coordinated network that provides a full continuum of youth development opportunities that are easily accessed and appeal to all types of youth in the community. In addition, efforts are needed to make parents and youth aware of available programs.

  3. Examine Program Effectiveness-It is not enough just to offer any program. Programs need to embody youth development principles and be responsive to young people's interests and needs. Only then will they be likely to attract and retain young people's interests. In the mid-1980s, the Center for Early Adolescence developed several models and resources to plan effective programs for young people, which are now available from Search Institute.

  4. Recognize The Value Of Both Formal And Informal Opportunities-A key message from Minneapolis' youth is that they do not necessarily need lots of highly structured programs. They want safe, positive places where they can form relationships with both peers and adults, have fun doing constructive activities, and relax. That interest needs to be balanced with interesting, structured programs that intentionally nurture young people's development.

  5. Mobilize Support For And Involvement In Programs-If youth program providers are to reach their potential for expanding and improving programs, they cannot do it alone. Like schools, they must begin emphasizing the importance of community involvement and partnerships. People in higher education, business, and corporate communities need to be challenged to support youth programs through sponsorship, resources, volunteer involvement, and family-friendly policies.
The evidence continues to mount for recognizing youth development opportunities as essential for young people's healthy development-not as nice additions if extra resources or time are available. The challenge is to discover ways to involve all youth meaningfully in quality programs and to provide those programs with the support they need to be effective.

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