Suchergebnisse

Highlights of a multi-method research study conducted to understand the perceptions and experiences of youth and adults working together within communities are shared in this article. The results revealed that the most positive youth-adult relationship experiences were those with supportive adults willing to share power with youth, those instituting youth-led endeavors where young people were allowed to demonstrate high levels of involvement and responsibility, and those involving participants who had previously worked as a community partner. Participants in Youth-Led Collaborations were more positive toward their experiences than those in Adult-Led Collaborations and Youth-Adult Partnerships. Also, participants in relationships located in rural areas indicated more positive experiences than those in urban areas. In addition, the critical elements of various youth-adult relationships were also underscored, thus identifying characteristics that have significant importance in nurturing interactions between young people and positive adults.

<p>This examination of the literature explored the limited empirical data available regarding the networks formed between Cooperative Extension (Extension), local partners, and faith-based organizations (FBOs) within metropolitan areas. With FBOs being central to rural towns, as well as urban neighborhoods, Extension must consider engaging with these essential community resources as a means to broaden its reach and serve a wider audience. Not only are these entities underutilized, despite the abundance of human and social capital they provide, but they too are often in need of what Extension has to offer. This article will examine the history of collaborations between urban FBOs and Extension. In addition, the authors will look at how applying the principles of past successes to current problems could potentially enrich urban societies. The authors suggest meaningful ways in which Extension can serve in a capacity that is beneficial but not imposing on moral and/or spiritual beliefs and serve as allies with faith-based organizations to reach and aid new and/or underserved clientele.

Libraries provide settings where youth can experience positive development. However, many young people and their families do not access the potential these institutions afford their communities. In addition, library staff are seldom presented with opportunities to work more intimately with young people visiting the library. This article provides data on library staff and their feelings toward youth and their experiences interacting with young people in their local libraries. The findings of the study reveal that library staff members have an array of perceptions toward young people and how youth can be affected.

This article provides insight into how an adequate approach to selecting methods can establish credible and actionable evidence. The authors offer strategies to effectively support Extension professionals, including program developers and evaluators, in being more deliberate when selecting appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods. In addition, several examples of commonly used measures are described to help in determining their applicability for evaluating Extension programs. Benefits and challenges of select methods are discussed as well as pitfalls to avoid that can derail the evaluative process. Lastly, a few cases are shared to present how Extension is aiming to establish credible evidence through state efforts and at the national level. The authors discuss the use of practical designs (e.g., common measures) that offer a more uniform way of evaluating programs. Examples are also included to highlight the effective use of Extension reporting systems that aim to streamline data collection, evaluation, and reporting as a means to ensure more credibility.

Four implications for youth development research and practice resulted from a qualitative study on psychosocial developmental experiences of late adolescents coping with parental cancer during late adolescence. The study employed a developmental systems framework and grounded theory methods. Results suggest three primary psychosocial developmental influences, including multilevel influences (individual, familial, and extrafamilial risk and protective factors), coping strategies to maintain control, and responses to uncertainty and anticipatory grief. The particular combination of risk and protective factors present in participants' lives resulted in positive outcomes; resilience was the central unifying concept that characterized the primary psychosocial developmental outcomes of each participant. This finding illuminates the need to expand our focus in youth development research and practice to include positive developmental outcomes that can result from coping with life crises during adolescence.