1. INTRODUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW THE PROBLEM METHODS • There is not enough evidence of positive youth development principles being utilized in community collaborations • PYD Strategies: • Focus on recognizing youth as assets • Provide all youth with support & opportunities for skill development, exercising leadership & contributing to community • Are more effective in providing youth with the necessary skills to develop into healthy and productive adults • Community Collaboration outcomes match youth outcomes: • Competence: increases knowledge and skills to function more effectively • Character: accountability & responsibility • Confidence: assuredness & self-efficacy • Connectedness: social relations built on trust among adults and youth • Contribution: participation in school, community, families and organizations • Mixed Methods Design using Sequential Explanatory Strategy • Secondary Data Analysis: meeting minutes & attendance records, grant proposals & process notes & evaluation materials to identify collaborating partners, key stakeholders, active participants, funding requirements and action team membership • Focus Groups: conducted with action teams to define PYD, identify awareness, perceptions, opinions and receptivity to PYD approach & SWOT analysis • Survey: Self-administered questionnaire, closed & open-ended; sample of youth & adults in participating organizations; identify org. type; activity types; perceptions of 12 possible elements of PYD; & perceptions of youth outcomes • Data Analysis: Focus groups will be transcribed verbatim, coded & analyzed for themes. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, means, median, rankings, cross tabulations) will summarize quantitative data. • According to “America’s Children”, in 2008 • 21.7 per 1,000 births were to females between ages 15-17; • 19% of children ages 0-17 were living in poverty; • 12 per 1,000 youth ages 12 -17 were victims of serious violent crimes; • 14 per 1,000 youth offenders ages 12 -17 were involved in serious violent crimes • 10 per 1,000 reports of child maltreatment were substantiated PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY • To assess the level of positive youth development principles being implemented in a community collaboration of 39 organizations to prevent violence in New Hanover County, NC. ASSESSING POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN A COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR THE PREVENTION OF YOUTH VIOLENCEAimee CoxClemson University, Youth Development Leadership • Environments should provide: • Physical and psychological safety • Appropriate structure, rules, expectations, boundaries • Supportive relationships with peers and adults • Opportunities to belong regardless of differences • Positive social norms • Meaningful challenges, autonomy, contributing to community • Opportunities for skill building • Integration of family school and community THE COLLABORATION • Over 50 individuals representing • Community & Faith-Based Organizations • Schools • City Government • Office of Juvenile Delinquency • Mental Health & Human Services • Concerned Citizens What is the best way to address youth risk factors and problematic behaviors? Historically, youth have been considered in the context of problematic behaviors and risk factors to be eliminated. Today, evidence supports considering youth in the context of their strengths and assets to be developed. The Ecological Perspective suggests optimal environments for development include the multiple contexts that impact development. Community Collaboration in support of positive youth development is an approach that integrates the efforts of each context towards effectively supporting youth in their path to adulthood. Positive Youth Development (PYD)represents a policy perspective for guiding youths’ physical, cognitive and emotional development. RESEARCH QUESTIONS What are the collaborating partners’ knowledge, perceptions, opinions and receptivity of the concept of PYD? What specific activities and processes being implemented by the collaboration constitute PYD? What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats in regards to collaboratively approaching the prevention of youth violence in accordance with PYD principles? IMPLICATIONS • This study will contribute to the knowledge of types of activities and processes utilized by community collaborations that constitute PYD. This knowledge will further the promotion of a common language in support of professionalization of the field of youth development. • According to the Search Institute: • In 2003, among 150,000 6th to 12th grade youth in 202 communities across the United States • 22% reported perceiving that adults in the community value youth. • 26% reported perceptions of young people being given useful roles in the community