DOCUMENT RESUME ED 470 266 UD 035 328 AUTHOR Calvert, Matthew; Zeldin, Shepherd; Weisenbach, Amy Youth Involvement for Community, Organizational and Youth TITLE Development: Directions for Research, Evaluation and Practice. Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development, Chevy INSTITUTION Chase, MD. PUB DATE 2002-00-00 21p.; Also produced by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, NOTE Human Development and Family Studies department. AVAILABLE FROM Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development, 7100 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Tel: 301-961-2837; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://wwwtheinnovationcenter.org or www.atthetable.org. PUB TYPE Reports Descriptive (141) EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE DESCRIPTORS *Adolescents; *Community Development; Evaluation Methods; *Organizational Development; *Participative Decision Making; Public Policy; Research Needs; *Youth Programs *Youth Participation IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT In 2000, a study entitled "Youth in Decision-Making: A Study on the Impacts of Youth on Adults and Organizations," examined organizations that actively involved youth in decision making roles and found that adults and organizations had experienced significant positive changes as a result. Building on focus groups and interviews conducted in developing this study, researchers hosted a meeting of youth and adult researchers and practitioners to generate questions that could guide research, policy, and practice. This agenda highlights the interests and concerns of conference participants, focusing on six issues: the impact of youth involvement for the individual youth, adult partners, organizations, and communities; the implications of youth development and associated range of skills and interests for the policies and practices that promote maximum community and organization involvement of diverse youth; how to understand and measure the process and impact of youth involvement across contexts; how to sustain youth involvement; who is advocating, promoting, and participating in youth involvement nationally and internationally; and how the current movement to increase youth involvement relates to the historical narrative, policy frameworks, and other social movements. Recommendations include involving youth in research and fully funding evaluation projects dedicated to youth involvement. (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Youth Involvement for Community, Organizational and Youth Development: Directions for Research, Evaluation and Practice A joint effort.of... Matthew Calvert Shepherd Zeldin Human Development and Family Studies University of Wisconsin-Madison Amy Weisenbach Innovation Center for Community and Youth. Development © 2002 University of Wisconsin-Madison and Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development/Tides Center 3 Table of Contents Research Agenda Overview 1 Understanding and Measuring the Impacts 3 Youth Development and Diversity 5 Implications for Practice 9 Social and Policy Contexts 11 Next Steps 14 Acknowledgements 15 TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON AND INNOVATION CENTER FOR COMMUNITY AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT and community developMent strategy. FoundatiOns and other funding sources are asking for documen- tation that youth involvement is a 'strategy Research Agenda worthy of further investment. Advocates working Overview with policy makers to further youth involvement have asked for better research and evaluation. And organizations and communities need the support of promising examples of practice to partner with young people in meaningful and authentic ways. Building on the interviews and focus groups that were conducted in the development of the Youth In 2000, the Innovation Center for Community in Decision-Making study, the Innovation Center and Youth Development published Youth in hosted a meeting of a group of youth and adult Decision-MAking: A Study on the Impacts of and pi actitioncrs.They were given the Youth on Adults and Organizations.This research, task of generating questions to guide research, conducted by Shepherd Zeldin, Annette Kusgen policy, and practice. The group generated nearly McDaniel, Matt Calvert and Dimitri Topitzes from 70 questions that raised issues of the fit between the University of Wisconsin Madison, focused youth competencies and youth roles in organiza- on organizations that actively involved youth in competencies of adults needed to tions; the decision-making roles and found that adults and partner with youth; community and organizational significant organizations experienced had antecedents of successful youth involvement; positive change as a result. This points to the individual, organizational and community impact; promise of youth involvement as a strategy and issues of best practice and strategy. They also and community for organizational youth, sought descriptive information about varied youth development. However, the youth development involvement practices and the demographics of field, and especially the research community, those involved. They thought more information begun to examine the have only recently was needed about the historical, policy, cross- processes by which this development takes disciplinary and international contexts of the place. This lack of understanding has proved to work. At the most fundamental level, the group be a significant barrier to giving serious consider- sought definition and clarity for the elements and ation to youth involvement as an effective youth dimensions of youth involvement. RESEARCH AGENDA OVERVIEW 1 5 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON AND INNOVATION CENTER FOR COMMUNITY AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT highlights partnership between the two to develop a full the agenda interests and This concerns of the conference participants. It also understanding of the real-world experiments that builds upon the knowledge gained from our contribute to changes in policy and practice. In many conversations with young people, youth reviewing the recommendations of the meeting participants, it became clear that they could be workers and others engaged with youth involve- ment. Clearly, an agenda is already forming and it grouped into six main questions: is time to capture it and connect the diverse O What are the impacts of youth involvement research and practice that contributes to the field. for the individual young people, adult partners, Since the agenda speaks primarily to the research and policy community, many issues important to organizations, and communities? practitioners are beyond its scope. However, it is O What are of youth also intended to be strategicto identify areas implications the for researchers and reflective practitioners to development and the associated range of skills explore, which are likely to respond to the and interests for the policies and practices which important questions of policy, social justice, promote maximum community and organiza- tional involvement of diverse young people? and democracy which underlie many of the issues. 0 How can we understand and measure the The research agenda is intentionally broad. We hope it will spur policy makers and funders to process and impact of youth involvement across examine their priorities, encourage researchers to contexts? think of their work and interests in the light of youth involvement issues, and stimulate How do organizations and communities practitioners to undertake the innovations sustain youth involvement? that push the field forward and to build the learning communities that are needed to promoting, and advocating, Who is ei support the youth involvement movement. participating in youth involvement in the United As specific research projects develop, it will be States and across the world? essential to involve young people and their allies 0 How does the current movement for framing, designing, and participants in as increasing youth involvement relate to the carrying out these research programs. historical narrative, policy frameworks, and other research questions and evaluation Applied social movements? questions are outlined alongside more basic research issues. This emphasizes the need for RESEARCH AGENDA OVERVIEW 2 6 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON AND INNOVATION CENTER FOR COMMUNITY AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT distinguished between the involvement of young people in significant decision-making roles and Understanding those in other less intensive organizational and community activities. Good measures of this and Measuring involvement and its impacts will help to advance the practice of youth development. It is necessary the Impacts to begin to research the quality of youth experiences in different contexts through the observation of group activities and youth-adult partnerships in decision-making. Studying youth development programs that provide good fit for young people will give insight into the way in which young people of the youth impacts are what create identities as agents of community and involvement for the involved young organizational change. Contexts in which young other youth_ adult partners; organiza- people exercise control over a program or tions and communities? geographic space may afford opportunities to explore generative identitiesmainstream or countercultura Ithat developmentally are Researchers can help describe the processes significant. of within individual youth development organizations and other contexts that use youth involvement strategies. This knowledge will add to Research is needed to understand the positive what has been learned about development in more effects of youth involvement on organizations. Such adult controlled and structured settings. findings, when combined with the positive effects on individual young people, provide an important impetus to decision-makers considering youth Researchers have learned a great deal about the involvement strategies. impact of structured environments such as families and schools on youth development. Less is known about the more fluid effects of settings Researchers' attention has only recently turned to such as neighborhoods and community-based the effects of young people upon the organiza- youth organizations. Researchers have rarely tions in which they participate. Organizational UNDERSTANDING AND MEASURING THE IMPACTS 3 7 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON AND INNOVATION CENTER FOR COMMUNITY AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT Studies and polls show adults have divergent, effectiveness and flexibility depend on factors and often negatiVe, perceptiOns of young such as sense of community, mission, entrepre- people's competence and potential, and that neurial decision-making, leadership, and non- these perceptions are influenced by the adults' bureaucratic relationships. Adding young people community connections as well as by their to the equation, both in research and in program experiences. Significant questions development, could make a major difference in personal remain about the possibility of influencing the organizational effectiveness in several of these attitudes and beliefs that adults have about domains. These data could also provide an young people. The Youth in Decision-Making important rationale for government and philan- study reported that adults who have direct expe- thropic investment in youth involvement. rience with young people's competence undergo changes in attitude and motivation that go beyond the immediate situation. These findings Research is needed to examine the ways in which bear further exploration. youth involvement practice affects community life. Studies of organizations and communities that have infused youth at significant levels might help to answer these complex questions about how public ideas are formed and changed. Researchers should investigate the impact of youth action on social capital or other measures of the strengths of communities and institutions. This requires attention to both the formal and the informal spaces where young people have impact. Research is needed to examine the impact of young people on individual adultsboth the direct effects of youth action and indirect effects such as changing adult perceptions and expectations of young people. UNDERSTANDING AND MEASURING THE IMPACTS 4 8 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON AND INNOVATION CENTER FOR COMMUNITY AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT Youth social policy in the United States has focUsed on protectionprotecting vulnerable Youth children well from dangers social as as protecting society from dangerous children and Development adolescents. If youth involvement practice and policy is going to break this pattern, we need and Diversity that strong communities evidence and individuals have more to gain from involving young people than from isolating them. Well-documented principles and examples for practice will help communities take steps toward youth involvement in social and policy a environment that often regards such efforts with suspicion. That are the implications of youth development and the associated range Young people gain formal reasoning skills of skills and interests for the policies which rompArAhip to aril hPtINPPn thp agpc of 1 1 anri promote maximum community and organiza- 15, though they may require different supports tional involvement of diverse young people? than adults to overcome a lack of experience. Given appropriate support, young people can participate in decision-making in ways that Despite their generally high levels of cognitive and enhance their own development and provide moral development, young people are often exclud- valuable perspectives and contributions to ed from participation in decisions relevant to their organizations and communities. Evidence of the own lives. Researchers can help to apply what is competency of youth will help make the case for known about the development of competencies in policies that maximize the inclusion of young young people to build the support systems and people in civic life rather than arbitrarily exclude scaffolding that help young people serve in roles them based on age. Interpersonal and organiza- where they are most likely to thrive and most able tional commitments to empowerment and to contribute to positive organizational and participation can complement larger policy community development. initiatives that support the participation of citizens in civic societies, but it cannot replace them completely. Research-based information is needed to support the advocates and policy YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND DIVERSITY 5 9 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON AND INNOVATION CENTER FOR COMMUNITY AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT makers who promote youth involvement on a groups while remaining cognizant of the diversi- ty of interests and-abilities of people of all ages. broad scale. Many of these organizational supports also improve the decision-making process for adults as Researchers should connect youth involvement well, and researchers can help. to differentiate between youth-specific factors and those which practice and_ youth development research. If we fit what we know about the differing attributes of affect other groups as well. younger adolescents, older adolescents, and young adults with the opportunities and supports in organizations and communities, Researchers should ask whether involved youth we can involve a broad range of reflect the young people and improve diversity of the community or Research-based informa- organization when evaluating outcomes at each stage. involvement policies. youth tion is needed to support Such attention will help organi- the advocates and policy Research on the relationship zations and communities avoid makers who promote (Hid inrlurlinn nnly thncp rung of adnIperpnt and youth involvement on a needs and developmental people who fit most easily. organizational characteristics broad scale. has demonstrated the con- is known about more nection between appropriate Little settings and developmental fine-grained issues of the fit of outcomes. Settings that provide an appropriate young people and organizational and community roles. Our society's diversity of personalities, balance of choice, safety, support, and challenge cultures, genders, abilities, and social support have been successful in engaging adolescents. A mismatch of these developmental trends and systems clearly calls for flexibility and choice in organizational contexts has negative motivation- the spectrum of involvement available to young al consequences and often contributes to poor people in a community. Exploring the relation- developmental outcomes. In addition, younger ship between young people's skills and prefer- ences and the roles they choose will also help adolescents, older adolescents and young adults organizations and communities work with generally require different opportunities and supports to important for diverse young people. Better knowledge about It succeed. is the range of choices and activities that will researchers to study and articulate the appropri- ate fit of roles and supports for different age engage diverse young people will ensure that YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND DIVERSITY 6 10