Lynne M. Borden

Community Youth Development: Programs, Policies, and Practices

Preface Acknowledgments 1. Community Youth Development: Partnership Creating a Positive World - Daniel F. Perkins (Pennsylvania State University), Lynne M. Borden (University of Arizona), Joanne G. Keith (Michigan State University), Tianna Hoppe-Rooney, & Francisco A. Villarruel (Michigan State University) Part I: Individual Issues 2. The African-American Child & Positive Youth Development: A Journey from Support to Sufficiency - Edna Olive (ROCKET, Inc.) 3. Research Realities & a Vision of Success for Latino Youth Development - Michael C. Rodriguez (University of Minnesota), Diana Morrobel (Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center), & Francisco A. Villarruel (Michigan State University) 4. Positive Youth Development in Urban American Indian Adolescents - Tamara C. Cheshire & Walter T. Kawamoto (California State University, Sacramento) 5. Facilitating Positive Development in Immigrant Youth: The Role of Mentors & Community Organizations - Jennifer G. Roffman, Carola Suarez-Orozco (Harvard University Graduate School of Education), & Jean E. Rhodes (University of Massachusetts, Boston) 6. The Role of Gender in Enhancing Program Strategies for Healthy Youth Development - Jill Denner (ETR Associates) & Amy Griffin (Michigan State University) 7. Adolescent Sexuality & Positive Youth Development - Stephen T. Russell (University of California, Davis, & 4-H Center for Youth Development) & Nikki Sigler Andrews 8. Positive Development for Youth with Disabilities: Lessons Learned from Two Stories of Success - Esther Onaga, Marsha Carolan, Cathryn Maddalena, & Francisco A. Villarruel (all of Michigan State University) Part II: The Intersection of Youth and Community Programs 9. A Serious Look at Leisure: The Role of Leisure Time & Recreation Activities in Positive Youth Development - Linda L. Caldwell & Cheryl K. Baldwin (both of Pennsylvania State University) 10. Working Hand in Hand: Community Youth Development & Career Development - Theresa M. Ferrari (Ohio State University) 11. Workforce & Youth Development for Court-Involved Youth: Barriers & Promising Approaches - David Brown, Edward DeJesus, Sarah Maxwell, & Vincent Schiraldi 12. The Character of Moral Communities: A Community Youth Development Approach to Enhancing Character Development - Karen L. Pace (Michigan State University) 13. Youth Civic Development: A Logical Next Step in Community Youth Development - Constance Flanagan & Beth Van Horn (both of Pennsylvania State University) 14. Giving Youth a Voice in Their Own Community & Personal Development: Strategies & Impacts of Bringing Youth to the Table - Melissa S. Quon Huber (Michigan State University), Jeff Frommeyer, Amy Weisenbach, and Jennifer Sazama Part III: Youth Professionals, Communities, and Youth 15. Key Elements of Community Youth Development Programs - Daniel F. Perkins (Pennsylvania State University) & Lynne M. Borden (University of Arizona) 16. Positive Youth Development: The Role of Competence - Angela J. Huebner (Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University) 17. Adults Who Make a Difference: Identifying the Skills & Characteristics of Successful Youth Workers - Nicole Yohalem (The Forum for Youth Investment) 18. The Essential Youth Worker: Supports & Opportunities for Professional Success - Joyce A. Walker (University of Minnesota) 19. Community Youth Development: Youth Voice & Activism - Francisco A. Villarruel (Michigan State University), Daniel F. Perkins (Pennsylvania State University), Lynne M. Borden (University of Arizona), & Joanne G. Keith (Michigan State University) Author Index Subject Index About the Contributors

Participation in Structured Youth Programs: Why Ethnic Minority Urban Youth Choose to Participate--Or Not to Participate.

This study examines the cultural and contextual factors that influence the decisions of underrepresented urban youth, who identify themselves as Black/ African American, Latino, Arab, or Chaldean, to participate in youth programs. Although youth programs are increasingly recognized for their positive influences, little is known about the factors that influence a young persons decision to participate. Using the concept systems method, participants engaged in “brainstorming sessions” that led to more in-depth discussions about why youth participate in youth programs. Overall, youth emphasized how youth programs help young people stay off the streets, learn new skills, avoid boredom, and provide opportunities for fun and enjoyable activities. The perceived barriers preventing young people from participating differed between genders and ethnicities and included barriers related to personal decisions, peer influence, and parental restrictions.

Challenges and Opportunities to Latino Youth Development: Increasing Meaningful Participation in Youth Development Programs.

This study examines the cultural and contextual factors that influence Latino participation in youth programs. Although youth programs are increasingly recognized for their positive influences, little is known about the factors that influence a young person’s decision to participate. In this study, 67 Latino youth were asked about the reasons youth choose to and choose not to participate. Utilizing the Concept Systems method, youth participated in three phases of data collection—brainstorming, sorting, and ranking—to provide an in-depth understanding of reasons for and barriers to participation. Overall, youth ranked personal development and confidence as their top reasons for participation. Participants also ranked factors for participation higher than barriers to participation. Gender and intergenerational differences are discussed in more detail.

Moving Beyond Youth Voice

This study combines research documenting the benefits of positive relationships between youth and caring adults on a young person’s positive development with studies on youth voice to examine the mechanisms through which participation in youth programs contributes to positive developmental outcomes. Specifically, the study explores whether youth’s perceived quality relationships with adults contribute to strengthening of youth voice and in turn how the two combine to affect youth’s perception of the benefits of program participation. The findings derived from survey data regarding 748 youth who participated in youth—adult partnership programs in 29 states suggest that young people who develop positive relationships with adults perceive they have more voice in the program and in turn perceive more benefits to program participation. Implications for research and practice are presented.

Ethnic Minority Youth in Youth Programs: Feelings of Safety, Relationships with Adult Staff, and Perceptions of Learning Social Skills.

The authors examine perceptions that young people hold regarding their participation in community-based youth programs. Specifically, this study assesses young people’s sense of psychological safety, their relationships with adult staff, their learning of social skills, and how different ethnic groups experience these factors. Data for the study come from a national evaluation study of youth programs. Participants in this study include 272 White, 100 Asian or Pacific Islander, 61 African American, and 57 Hispanic youth. The results indicate that African American youth are more likely to feel psychologically safe and to have positive relationships with adult staff compared to the other youth. In addition, with the exception of African American youth, the associations between feeling safe and having positive relationships with adult staff and perception of learning social skills were significantly related. The possible explanations of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Retaining Early Childhood Education Workers: A Review of the Empirical Literature

ABSTRACT Low retention in the child care workforce is a persistent challenge that has been associated with negative outcomes for children, staff, and centers. This article reviews the empirical literature, identifying common correlates or predictors of retention for child care workers. Searches were conducted using several databases, and articles that presented quantitative or qualitative data on retention for center-based child care workers in the United States were reviewed in detail. Seven themes emerged as potential predictors of retention: wages and benefits, job satisfaction, organizational characteristics, alternative employment opportunities, demographic characteristics, job characteristics, and education and training. Although some of the findings were mixed, increased retention was generally associated with the following: working in a publicly operated or nonprofit center that meets accreditation or policy standards, being older, maintaining a higher-level position, having more tenure and experience, receiving higher wages, and reporting higher job satisfaction. Based on these studies, child care centers should seek to increase pay, recruit staff with more experience, and aim to improve job satisfaction among staff to help increase retention. In addition, government-funded professional development incentive programs may help child care centers meet the goals of a high-quality, educated, and stable workforce.

Breaking Down Potential Barriers to Continued Program Participation

Participation in youth programming fosters positive developmental outcomes for youth, yet recruitment and retention are ongoing challenges. Given the imbalance in rates of participation of ethnic minority youth, compared with White youth, it is important to gain a greater understanding of the contextual factors that promote or inhibit participation. In this study, the authors considered whether elements of positive youth programming, specifically youth voice and supportive relationships, would reduce potential barriers to continued program participation. Consistent with the extant literature, supportive relationships reduced potential barriers to continuing participation. The key finding from the study, however, showed that youth voice increased potential barriers to participation for ethnic minority youth but not for White youth. The implications for research and practice are discussed.

Deployment and family functioning: A literature review of US operations in Afghanistan and Iraq

The conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have led to historically high rates of military deployment for the United States. The increased deployment tempo of the current conflicts necessitates a closer look at the literature on the impact of deployment on families specific to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). In this article, we review the qualitative and quantitative literature on the impact of OEF and OIF deployment on families. The review included 38 articles organized into four major areas: (1) Family Changes and Transitions, (2) Child Maltreatment, (3) Spouse Stress and Mental Health, and (4) Marital Relationship Quality. Results of this review are discussed in terms of the need for additional research on individual differences between families and greater emphasis on how deployment impacts the well-being of spouses. We conclude with a discussion of limitations.

A review of the impact of US military deployments during conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq on children's functioning

Recent military conflicts have resulted in longer and more frequent deployments than past conflicts for US Servicemembers; this increased deployment tempo has potential consequences for youths well-being. This review article synthesizes the research that has examined the impact of parental deployment in the United States since 2001 on youths functioning. Extant literature reveals that, while parental deployment is directly associated with increased academic problems, it has a more complex association with behavior problems, peer relationships, and physical health problems. For these outcomes, variables such as parent well-being and child age played a role in the impact of parental deployment on youth. These findings highlight the need for additional research on the complex association between parental deployment and youths functioning, and the factors that might moderate this association.

Challenges Facing Military Spouses During Postdeployment Reintegration: A Review of the Literature and Current Supports

ABSTRACT The reintegration period when service members return from deployment and transition back into family life is usually filled with joy, but can also involve unique stressors and challenges. In this review, the authors synthesize the empirical literature on the well-being of military spouses during reintegration across 6 domains: mental health, social/role functioning, relationship functioning, spiritual functioning, physical health, and financial well-being. In each domain, the authors provide an overview of current support programs available to military spouses to aid in reintegration. Recommendations for future research and programming are offered.