Transcript Youth Development (ACA and youth develpoment)

ACA and Youth
Development
M. Deborah Bialeschki, Ph.D., ACA
Marge Scanlin, Ed.D., ACA
Michelle Gambone, Ph.D., YDSI
Funded by Lilly Endowment Inc
ACA Program Improvement
Project 2004-2006
• Benchmark Study on Supports and
Opportunities
– 80 Camps in 4 regions
– 7672 Campers
• Program Improvement Process
– 23 camps for two summers
– Targeted improvement strategies
– 2278 campers
Community Action Framework for Youth
Development
Build Community
Capacity and Conditions
for Change (E)
© Connell & Gambone 1998
Improve Youth
Developmental
Outcomes (B)
Increase Supports
& Opportunities for
Youth (C)
Adequate nutrition,
health & shelter
Multiple supportive
relationships
Implement Community
Strategies to Enhance
Supports & Opportunities
for Youth (D)
Meaningful
involvement
Challenging &
engaging skill building
activities
Safety
Improve LongTerm Outcomes
in Adulthood (A)
Overall Supports & Opportunities
(Optimal) (Insufficient)
100%
80%
69%
60%
39%
40%
20%
30%
41%
25%
9%
1%
5%
0%
Support ive
Relat ionships
Saf et y
Yout h Involvement
Skill Building
How Camps Might Compare:
Adult Support
100%
80%
60%
52%
40%
32%
22%
20%
9%
0%
Camps
Youth
Development
Orgs
Middle Schools
High Schools
How Camps Might Compare:
Skill Building
100%
80%
60%
48%
43%
40%
29%
25%
20%
0%
Camps
Youth
Development
Orgs
Middle Schools
High Schools
Steps in the Organizational
Improvement Process
1. Leadership Sets Initial Targets
2. Staff Reviews Survey Results
3. Youth Review Survey Results
4. Develop Action Plan
5. Prioritize Areas for Improvement in Year One
6. Re-set Targets for Year One Plan
7. Leadership Reviews Survey Results
Percent ACA PIP Camps with Positive Change in 1
or More Dimension
(N=23)
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Supportive
Relationships
Safety
Skill Building
% camps with positive change in 1 or more dimension
Youth Involvement
YOUTH INVOLVEMENT:
What Is Important?
• Decision Making
• Leadership
• Belonging
DECISION-MAKING
LEADERSHIP
BELONGING
OVERALL
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Effective Strategies for
Improving Youth Involvement

Providing early adolescent campers with
an unstructured hang out time

Having older campers mentor younger
campers

Using camper feedback on a regular basis
Effective Strategies for
Improving Youth Involvement

Training staff to involve youth in decision making

Involving campers and staff in decision-making with
camper councils and allow more opportunities to plan
cabin/camp activities

Having counselors ask campers for input on their
upcoming week and then meeting together to plan the
rest of the week
That being said…
It is NOT ABOUT specific
Strategies….
It IS ABOUT being
purposeful in making
organizational changes.
Organizational
Improvement Process
Step 2. Organizational Assessment
Organizational structures (S):
• Low youth to staff/volunteer ratios
• Safe, reliable, and accessible activities and spaces
• Continuity and consistency of care
Organizational policies (P):
• Ongoing, results-based staff and organizational
improvement process
• Flexibility in allocating available resources
• Community engagement
Organizational activities (A):
• Range of diverse, interesting, and skill-building
activities
• Youth engagement in organizational decision making
• High, clear, and fair standards
Rate of Improvements Associated
with Level of Implementation
(Structure, Policy and Activities)
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
11 S, P & A Camps
12 non SPA Camps
20%
10%
0%
Change in 3 or more
S&O areas
Change in 1 or 2 S&O
areas
No Change
LESSONS FROM DIRECTORS:
What Worked?
 Start with Systematic Data
o “We always thought we were camper centered…this
process brought meat to what it means to be camper
centered.”
 Use a Youth Development Framework
o “The process helped us do strategic planning in direct
relationship to youth development. We thought about
youth development but this helped us focus…and remotivated us around youth development principles.”
 Focus on Intentionality and Accountability
o “Leaders felt more confident about knowing their job –
better prepared to provide the emotional support. What
we covered and how we covered it was different… felt
prepared to focus on the campers. There was a different
attitude through camp because of intentionality on a fun
safe summer.”
LESSONS FROM DIRECTORS:
What Was Challenging?
Staff Buy In
Staff Skills
Camp Structure
Youth Buy In
Unexpected Events
Next Steps
YOUTH INVOLVEMENT
Training tools for youth workers in
facilitation vs. control
Defining developmentally appropriate
“leadership”
Decision-making power in things that
matter
Next Steps
 Move from language to practice
 Mentoring directors
 Helping staff understand and support human
development
 Tools for Youth Workers
 Methods to capture information on
developmental quality from youth and frontline workers
 A means/process for Program Improvement
 Development and implementation of culturally
appropriate “program”
So What?
• Camps of all types improved their
impact on campers by specifically
targeting camp structures, policies,
and activities by using a continuous
improvement process.
• In fact, 83% of camps in ACA’s study
showed significant improvement in
one or more dimensions vital to
positive camper development.
• Getting feedback from campers and staff
on their perceptions of camp programs,
procedures, and relationships is critical to
developing strategies that will work in
camp.
• Simply selecting another camp’s strategies
is not nearly as effective as using a process
for self-examination that results in
strategies that are designed by campers
and staff and intentionally applied to the
camp setting.
• To improve the likeliness of having a
positive influence on camper growth,
strategies need to integrated into the
camp’s structures, policies, and activities.
Ponder Points?
• How do you pick a focus? Do you
help your folks focus on outcomes?
Behaviors that lead to outcomes?
Both??
• www.acacamps.org/research then
click on Inspirations (Benchmarking
study) and Innovations (PIP study)