Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries (January 11 - 14, 2007)

This interdisciplinary, multi-method study investigated the defining characteristics of a national sample of youth development programs with reputations for successfully engaging low-income and minority youth and helping youth contribute to the livability of their communities. Conducted by a 3-site research team (including members from social work, architecture, and environmental psychology), the study focused on understanding how programs link youth and community development within a commitment to social justice. Purpose: Primary aims of the study were: 1) to describe key characteristics and self-reported outcomes of the programs; and 2) to identify patterns in programming, both those that result in more transformative programs (defined as ones that recognize and seek to redress sociopolitical barriers to the development of low income and minority youth) and those where programs fall short of espoused goals. This paper focuses on one element of the larger study, the development of a theoretically-informed, empirically-derived model of transformative, community-based youth development practice. Method: The study sample was identified via academic and community practice networks. Efforts were made to ensure geographic diversity and to include programs not typically represented in extant studies. The large majority of programs were in grassroots organizations. The study methods included: 1) preliminary theory-building; 2) exploratory focus groups; 3) a 68 item, semi-structured telephone survey of program directors; and 4) phone and in-person interviews with 198 youth and adult constituents from a sub-sample of 6 programs. Data analyses incorporated qualitative (iterative thematic analyses using multiple raters, e.g. Boyatis, 1998)) and quantitative methods (including latent profile analysis, which entails categorization of individuals or units based on some criteria in order to identify homogenous sub-groups that are of theoretical interest (Magnusson, 1998). Results: Findings of the study suggest that youth programs with an explicit social justice commitment vary in important ways from mainstream youth programs. Although they may endorse similar youth development goals (e.g. educational achievement and the acquisition of life and work skills), transformative programs are significantly more likely to focus outward, to community and collectivity, than inward to individual youth development. Furthermore, developmental goals typically are framed within a larger commitment to working collaboratively with youth to identify and resist oppressive social constructions and conditions and to participate in community development and transformation. Yet these programs are not monolithic: they vary in relation to their particular cultural, community, and historical contexts, and also face challenges in aligning program content with espoused values. Implications: The study suggests the need to extend current models of youth development to incorporate the experiences and perspectives of marginalized and low-income communities, and to respond to variation among these communities. The conceptual model, which specifies key elements of a transformative youth development approach, can be used to inform the design, evaluation, and funding of programs that seek to link youth and community development.