Exploring the Mechanisms in Urban Neighborhoods That Promote Healthy Development Among Black Youth

Background and Purpose:

Black youth residing in urban neighborhoods face various disadvantages due to high rates of poverty. The consequences of living in continuous economic crisis include decreased neighborhood resources, which risks their academic, social, and psychological well-being. This study, utilizing an ethnographic approach, investigates the relationship ten 7th-12th graders develop with their neighborhoods through photography, journaling, and interviewing. The purpose being to better understand how participants process continuous exposure to the negative characteristics (i.e. violence, crime, decreased educational opportunity, etc.) that exist within their neighborhoods.

Methods:

Data collection spanned over a 4-week period with ten Black teenage participants (ages 13-18) at Programs for City Youth, a nonprofit organization that operates in 3 neighborhoods with the highest rates of children living in poverty within the city. A purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit 7-12 grade students enrolled in the PCY summer teen program. A female African American researcher assisted in the development and facilitation of workshops that helped participants reflect on their personal experiences in their neighborhoods. Workshops were audio recorded, and observational notes were taken throughout. Field notes were also written up daily immediately following each workshop session. All workshops and semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Atlas.ti qualitative research software was used to facilitate the coding process and to examine a priori and emergent codes. Matrix data displays and memoing was used to organize the data.   Participants were also provided with disposal cameras and asked to photograph people/place/things in their neighborhood that influenced them. For each set of photographs, descriptive data displays were prepared to analyze the location, activity, or people present in each photo. Photo descriptions by the participants were then analyzed using codes developed from the focus group interview and workshops. The photo and interview data was organized thematically and comparisons were made between study participants.

Findings:

The youth in this sample easily identify the various characteristics in their neighborhoods that they consider possible detriments on their life outcomes, highlighting factors such as limited community businesses and resources, dilapidated housing, failing school districts with incompetent school professionals, and gang violence/ street crimes. However, regardless of exposure to these negative influences, participants were able to identify protective factors within their homes, schools, and external environments that served as a buffer against the aforementioned characteristics within their neighborhoods. These participants display their individual agency by aligning themselves with peers who have similar goals, participating in enriching after-school programs, and carefully selecting schools in order to ensure their academic, social, and psychological wellness. This highlights that when the participants in this study felt that they were in control of their personal domain, they displayed better academic, and psychosocial outcomes. Having a sense of sociopolitical control decreased feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and improved school performance and community engagement.

Conclusion/ Implications:

Teenage youth who maintain positive perceived opportunity (e.g. those who create attainable goals, establish hope in their future outcomes, and maintain self-efficacy) display psychosocial preparedness, and are most likely to be academically successful, demonstrating healthy development.