Astraea Augsberger

Youth Civic Engagement: Do Youth Councils Reduce or Reinforce Social Inequality?:

Youth engagement in municipal government has the potential to benefit both youth and the community. Yet, some forms of youth civic engagement may be related to social class and race resulting in benefits to select youth and communities, thus perpetuating a longer term trajectory of privilege or marginalization. Informed by theories of social capital and civic engagement, the present study examined how youth councils may reduce or reinforce social inequality among young people at the city level. Data collection included interviews with youth council members, interviews with adult allies, observations of youth council meetings, and a review of council documents. Thematic analysis identified four overarching themes related to social inequality: member representation, social networks, community engagement, and youth engagement in governmental decision making. Although the council was committed to diversity and authentic youth engagement, findings identified areas in need of further attention. One important area is recruiting diverse youth, including those who attend non-traditional school settings. Another key area is providing youth with ongoing training and support focused on effective strategies for community engagement. Finally, more emphasis should be placed on engaging socially disadvantaged youth in municipal government and assisting them in enhancing their social networks.

Societal Factors Impacting Child Welfare Validating the Perceptions of Child Welfare Scale

Objective: This research examines the psychometric properties of the Perceptions of Child Welfare Scale (PCWS). This instrument is designed to assess child welfare workers’ understanding of how society views their role and their work. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was utilized to analyze data on 538 child welfare workers. Results: The final model consisted of three latent variables with 14 indicators related to stigma, value, and respect (χ2 = 362.33, p = .00; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .09; 90% confidence interval [CI]: [.08, .09]; comparative fit index [CFI] = .96; Tucker–Lewis Index [TLI] = .95). Discussion: The way in which workers believe others view their work suggests an increasingly complex prototype for understanding workforce issues. Those wishing to examine societal factors related to child welfare workforce issues could use this validated instrument.

The Associations Between Forced Sex and Severe Mental Health, Substance Use, and HIV Risk Behaviors Among Asian American Women

We examined the association between forced sex history and mental health, sexual health, and substance use among Asian American women (n = 720); 14.3% of our sample (n = 103) reported forced sex experiences. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that participants with forced sex histories were 2-8 times more likely to have higher rates of mental health problems, HIV risk behavior, and substance use. Qualitative analysis was used to supplement the quantitative results and give depth to our findings. Our results suggest that interventions for Asian American women who experienced forced sex should integrate mental health, substance use, and sexual health treatments.

What does youth-led participatory budgeting reveal about youth priorities? Ideas, votes, and decisions

ABSTRACT Youth involvement in community decision-making is considered a core principle of both youth advocacy and progressive governance. Yet, in many communities formal roles for youth remain limited. This paper presents data from a youth-led participatory budgeting process in Boston, Massachusetts (US). The City of Boston has institutionalized a formal process through which numerous youth can contribute ideas and vote on capital projects to receive city funding. A smaller group of youth are engaged in even greater depth. They are trained and work to facilitate submission of ideas, turn ideas into proposals, and encourage youth voting. We use data to identify concerns expressed by youth, their ideas for solutions, and the movement from ideas to funded projects. Implications for further development of participatory budgeting as a mechanism for youth civic engagement are discussed.

Engaging Youth in Municipal Government: Moving Toward a Youth-Centric Practice

ABSTRACT Youth councils are one mechanism to engage youth in community governance; yet, there is scant research to guide practice. This study examined the extent to which youth are engaged in the origin, structure, and activities of municipal youth councils. Interviews were conducted with 24 adult stakeholders involved in the operations of youth councils. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results demonstrated that youth-centric practice builds upon theoretical frames of positive youth development, social justice, and civic engagement. Youth-centric practice consists of youth representation, leadership, initiative, and decision-making. Results can assist practitioners and policy makers in engaging youth in municipal government.

“We make a direct impact on people's lives”: Youth empowerment in the context of a youth-led participatory budgeting project

Participatory budgeting [PB] is a democratic process whereby community members determine how to spend governmental funds. Youth-led PB is relatively new, occurring in select U.S. cities. During youth-led PB, youth collect ideas, develop proposals, and advertise community improvement projects for which they, citywide, cast deciding votes. The study examined opportunities for the empowerment youth at each stage of a youth-led PB project. Data collection included individual interviews with 31 youths and adult stakeholders, 3 focus groups with youths, and 7 observations of meetings. The data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research methods. Findings align well with the psychological empowerment literature and demonstrate several opportunities for empowerment throughout the PB project, including feeling in charge of the process, understanding and allocating resources, and influencing positive community change. Findings also demonstrate potential barriers to empowerment, including understanding bureaucratic decision making, and influencing policy. PB is relevant to furthering our understanding of the empowerment of youth. The youths who participated in the present study expressed feelings of competence, purpose, and an ability to use the skills learned to engage fellow youths in the PB process. Additional empirical research is needed to examine the dimensions of empowerment at each stage of the PB process.

Barriers to substance use and mental health utilization among Asian-American women: exploring the conflict between emotional distress and cultural stigma

Background There has been growing incidence of depression, suicide, substance use, and sexually transmitted infections among Asian-American women. However, they are reluctant to seek health and mental health services. There is scant empirical research focused on potential barriers to health-care utilization among Asian-American women. The present paper contributes to the literature by providing an indepth exploration of the factors Asian-American women identify as preventing them from seeking healthcare services.

Youth participation in child welfare decision making: A focused ethnography

Youth Participation in Child Welfare Decision Making: A Focused Ethnography Astraea Augsberger This dissertation examines youth participation in child welfare decision-making in the context of permanency planning family team conferences held in New York City. It explores the factors that influence youth attendance and participation in decision-making opportunities. It also examines the strategies conference facilitators use to engage youth in decision-making in permanency planning family team conferences. The study employed a focused ethnography design, characterized by relatively short-term field visits, intensive data collection and intensive data analysis. Data collection included observations of permanency planning family team conferences, followed by in-depth interviews with young people and conference facilitators. Grounded theory conventions for data analysis, including initial coding, focused coding, theoretical coding, and analytic memos, were used. Data analysis focused on gaining a deeper understanding of how youth are incorporated into decision-making procedures, including a comparison of youth and conference facilitators’ perceptions and experiences. It also explored the specific strategies facilitators used to engage youth in decision-making at the family team conference. The study findings demonstrate that youth attendance and participation in child welfare decision-making opportunities are influenced by the degree of relationship between youth and agency staff. Youth in the study valued workers who provided them with a combination of instrumental and emotional support. Factors that facilitated the development of a positive relationship with agency staff included, case continuity, nonjudgmental listening, establishing trust, and transcending roles. Regarding facilitator engagement strategies, findings revealed two very different facilitation styles: adult centric and youth centric. Adult centric facilitation placed adults at the center of decision making by failing to engage youth, silencing the youth voice, adopting the adult narrative, and going through the motions. Youth centric facilitation placed youth at the center of decision making by establishing trust, encouraging youth to speak, adapting the youth narrative, and demonstrating genuine care and concern. The facilitation styles are demonstrated through case illustrations and examples. The study’s policy and practice implications, limitations and areas of further research are presented.