An Exploratory Study of the Interests and Needs of Community-Based and Faith-Based Youth Workers (2007)
Prepared by the National Collaboration for Youth and Search Institute, with contributions from the American Camp Association.
Two groups of youth workers—community-based and faith-based—appear to operate in parallel universes. Both groups play significant roles in young people’s lives, but they generally have distinct professional development systems and opportunities, and, perhaps, distinct priorities for their work.
In 2006, with support from Lilly Endowment Inc., the National Collaboration for Youth and Search Institute began exploring the possibilities and challenges of building bridges between community-based and faith-based youth workers. Questions include:
- Can faith-based and community-based youth organizations find common ground in how they might prepare staff and volunteers to most effectively work with youth?
- What are the priorities, core competencies, and professional development interests and needs of both groups of youth workers? Where are they similar and different?
- What role does spiritual development play in the overall holistic development of youth?
- Are these groups of youth workers interested in finding common ground? What are any critical barriers that may interfere with building bridges? What do they see as the advantages?
- If there is interest, what might be done to facilitate mutual support and enhanced opportunities and systems for improving youth workers’ competencies and effectiveness?
The study involved a series of focus groups, two Web-based surveys of youth workers, and a two-day consultation of national thought leaders. What emerged from these explorations is a remarkable degree of alignment around many youth work priorities as well as exceptions that leave room for unique accents and learning. Is There Common Ground? is provided here to encourage and stimulate new conversations about the characteristics of effective youth workers and the potential for building bridges across sectors in community.
Download Is There Common Ground? An Exploratory Study of the Interests and Needs of Community-Based and Faith-Based Youth Workers:
Report and Executive Summary (PDF 49 pages, 612 KB)
Complete Report with All Appendices (PDF 123 pages, 7.9 MB)
Suggested citation: Garza, P., Artman, S., & Roehlkepartain, E. C. (with Garst, B. A., Bialeschki, M D.) (2007). Is There Common Ground? An Exploratory Study of the Interests and Needs of Community-Based and Faith-Based Youth Workers. Washington, DC: National Collaboration for Youth, and Minneapolis: Search Institute.
