WITHDRAWN Evaluating the Impact of Southeast Asian Young Men's Program

Background & Purpose: Immigrant youth are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population (Child Trends, 2019). A report by Lopez et al., (2017) indicates that the Asian population has increased by 72% between 2000 to 2015, thus indicative of the changes in the ethnic composition of youth within the country. Despite these projections, there have been limited efforts to address the unique factors that contribute to the wellbeing of youth within the diverse category of Asian Americans. Specifically, the needs of Southeast Asian American youth are often made invisible as they are swept under the umbrella of model minority. This overlooks unique stressors such as intergenerational trauma, disrupted familial and community relationships and acculturation (Maffini, 2016). The current study evaluates the in-school program called the Southeast Asian Youth Group (SEAYG) led by Asian Counseling and Referral Services (ACRS) in Seattle. The objective of this program is to support Southeast Asian youth between the ages of 14-17 years in areas of cultural identity, development of trusting relationships with adults, and providing avenues to voice concerns regarding past and ongoing trauma.

Method: This study utilized a mixed methods approach. Purposive sampling was used to obtain the study sample of Southeast Asian youth (14-17 years) from 5 distinct Seattle Public High Schools [N=99] and ACRS staff [N=7]. The study used the Positive Youth Development Scale (Lerner, 2001) to measure six areas (i) competence, (ii) confidence, (iii) connection, (iv) character, (v) caring, and (vi) contribution. Two rounds of the survey were administered, once at start of fall 2018 and, second in summer 2019. Also, a 60-minute FGD was conducted with 7 ACRS staff to gather information about curriculum development and strategies used to strengthen Southeast Asian youth voices. The data was analyzed using STATA and NVivo.

Results: The study findings indicated that majority of the youth that attended the SEAYG had a medium score of 3 out of 5 in all 6 sub scales in the first round. The follow-up survey indicated an increase in scores to 3.2 out of 5 in all sub scales, however this increase was not statistically significant. Significant differences in scores were seen in youth that attended schools that were categorized as low-resourced in comparison to those that attended higher resourced schools. The FGD with the staff highlighted the lack of integration of Southeast Asian realities in the classroom curriculum and the need for program that can support the youth concerns regarding intersectional identities of being Southeast Asian and American.

Conclusion: The SEAYM group is one of the only in-school programs within the US that focuses on addressing the unique needs of Southeast Asian American youth. The results of the study highlight the need to strengthen programs that recognize the cultural context of Southeast Asian communities in the US, and provide supports in areas of academic, cognitive, social, health and vocational competence; building a sense of self-worth; developing positive connections with people; developing respect for their cultural norms; feeling of care for others and perception of care received.