What Foster Youth Learn in a Youth Advisory Board: A Qualitative Study of Self-Reported Learning Experiences

Background    Foster youth advisory boards (YABs) are known for their advocacy and leadership mission. YABs also represent organized programs and activities that have been designed to provide opportunities for positive youth development with a foster youth population. Currently, little is known about the specific developmental or learning processes that occur within them. This is unusual given that YABs exist in nearly every state in the U.S., and many have existed for several decades. Even with increased attention to promoting child well-being in child welfare systems and normalcy, little has been done to differentiate what developmental experiences may stem from YAB participation. The objective of this study was to identify the types of developmental experiences that foster youth reported following participation in one state YAB. Given the different nature of youth advocacy, leadership, and service activities, we expected that each would be associated with distinct learning experiences.

Methods          Data were obtained from a larger qualitative study of one YAB, which included interviews with elected officers, program staff, and child welfare representatives. Data from the 33 elected officers were obtained at one point in time, spread over a fiscal year, and included field observations of statewide and regional meetings in six regions of the state. Interview questions asked about key components of the YAB, which were followed by probes designed to elicit self-reported information about any learning processes. Nearly all of the participants reported learning experiences that stemmed from participation (n=30). The analysis of these data involved several steps. A three-person team first engaged in an iterative process of developing categories of learning experiences in the data. One coder completed line by line coding of a small set of data to identify start codes (Charmaz, 2014). Two coders then coded the remaining transcripts, engaging in constant comparison of coded data and revising initial operational definitions. During this process, coders met regularly to discuss disagreements and to come to a consensus. A third team member served as an auditor, reviewing operational definitions of codes. The final coding yielded six categories of learning experiences that were reported by a substantial number of youth (n=26). 

Findings         The categories broadly fell into two domains: professional and personal development. In the domain of professional development, the categories included teamwork, goal setting, and skill development. The personal domain included the categories of identity exploration, peer connections, and adult relationships. A majority of youth reported that these learning experiences met unmet needs for well-being.

Implications    We expected that core aspects of YAB participation would activate specific learning experiences. For example, through advocacy and leadership training, youth learned specific professional and personal skills. What we did not expect is that participation in these activities also addressed self-reported unmet needs for well-being (e.g., belonging, security, trust, family, etc.,). Because this is a context in which youth may be particularly active in shaping their own development, these self-reported experiences may be useful to explore in future studies of YABs and in other programs promoting well-being with this population.