Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / The purpose of this thesis is to study those successful and unsuccessful programs in two young adult groups as viewed by the members, advisors and executive directors of the Lynn Jewish Community Center and the Hecht House of Boston. A consideration of those elements which contribute toward successful programming will also be included in this study which is based primarily upon two co-ed groups - the 1953 young adult group at the Hecht House and the group at the Lynn Center during the years 1953-55.

Leaders of nonprofit organizations and researchers who focus on organizational performance affirm that improved youth programs are a crucial component of performance excellence and organizational sustainability. As seen through the lens of transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this single-case study was to explore the strategies used by 3 executive-level leaders/managers of a nonprofit organization in the southwestern region of the United States to equip families to overcome poverty, conquer homelessness, and achieve self-sufficiency. Data collected from semistructured interviews, organizational documents, and publicly available resources were manually coded and then analyzed. The 2 key themes that emerged were effective collaboration for strategy development and leveraging core competencies. Strategy development could help leaders of nonprofit organizations that serve children and families (a) increase enrollment and improve skills of program participants, (b) improve children's behavior and engagement in the community, and (c) improve action plan completion. The implication of this study for positive social change includes the potential to help leaders of nonprofit organizations equip youth with job skills to decrease the cycle of homelessness.

Self-advocates and professionals in the field agree on the critical importance of providing self-advocacy and leadership training to youth with disabilities. Youth Leadership Forum (YLF) programs have been developed and implemented nationwide to provide a training venue for youth with disabilities to gain self-advocacy and leadership skills. The problem is the lack of empirical evidence validating the effectiveness of self-advocacy training provided through the YLF training format. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the Texas Statewide Youth Leadership Forum (TXYLF) summer training event on the self-advocacy abilities of high school students with disabilities, and to examine the interaction effect of disability type and gender on the improvement of self-advocacy abilities. To accomplish this purpose, a Non-Equivalent Groups Design (NEGD) was selected and used. The target population for this study was high school youth with disabilities in the state of Texas. The final sample included 68 youth. The TXYLF Pre/Post Questionnaire was the instrument used to measure the participants? self-advocacy abilities. The pretest was administered the week prior to the training event. The posttest was administered to the treatment group immediately following the training event and to the control group in the two weeks following the training event. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted to answer the primary and the exploratory questions. The inferential analyses included an ANCOVA and two factorial ANOVAS. Results indicated that the training had a positive effect on the selfadvocacy abilities of the participants. The results of the ANOVAs indicated (a) type of disability did not interact with treatment to affect the self-advocacy abilities of these participants, and (b) gender did not interact with treatment to affect the self-advocacy abilities of these participants. A descriptive and inferential post hoc examination of the treatment group data yielded an interaction by treatment effect for disability type indicating the treatment was more effective for participants with Developmental Disabilities. Future research studies should focus on replication of the current study results and examination of the long term effects of the self-advocacy training for youth with disabilities. In designing these studies, group designs should be considered and used.

This thesis explores the impacts of afterschool programs on youths’ feelings of inclusion and exclusion in small communities. A case study of the Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre in Ingersoll, Ontario was conducted to learn from youth about their experiences growing up, about the challenges they faced and the benefits they gained from participating in Fusion’s programs. This project focused on the youths’ perspectives, and employed various task-centered activities such as visualization and narrative techniques to engage youth and gather data. It also highlighted different tensions between youth and the community and how youth navigate these tensions while growing up. The study found that the space, staff and programs offered by the Fusion Youth Centre do change youths’ feelings of inclusion and exclusion in Ingersoll. However, there remains work to be done to change the systems of exclusions that make youth feel disconnected from their community.

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No description available.

Despite popular perceptions that the National Park Service (NPS) is first and foremost the steward of spectacular natural vistas, two-thirds of the system’s nearly four hundred parks exist explicitly to protect and interpret cultural and historic resources. It is this perception that the NPS only cares for Western natural wonders that impedes the agency, especially as it looks to the future. If the National Park Service is looking to cultivate the next generation of stewards, as employees, visitors, or advocates, it must understand how this diverse audience perceives the NPS. This thesis argues that this next generation of millennials perceives the National Park Service as a purveyor of natural wonders in the Western United States, road trip destinations. While the NPS is far from only “Western nature parks,” this popular perception permeates the next generation of park stewards. With this in mind, this thesis argues that the National Park Service must actively prioritize this next generation by defining who they are, recognize their perceptions and needs from the NPS, and understand how to best engage them in all aspects of natural and cultural resources. The NPS has a long history of youth engagement and outreach, in both natural and cultural resources, illustrating its importance to the agency. Looking to the future, it is imperative that the NPS supports youth engagement and outreach in a more productive and inclusive way. / History

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Karen S. Myers-Bowman / The current study focuses on qualitative data collected from youth and adults in two rural Kansas communities. The focal point of analysis was youth and adults' answers to questions about their experiences working with one another within community-based programs, specifically questions regarding youth's feeling of empowerment within the context of the program. Lerner's theory of developmental contextualism provided a framework for understanding how youth-adult relationships contribute to the development of youth empowerment. Youth voice, a construct related to the youth empowerment literature, appeared in the participants' responses across program sites. Common themes across settings were that teens who had been involved in the program the longest felt especially empowered, that youth became more responsible as a result of participating in the program, and that adults in both program sites fulfilled the six adult roles for youth empowerment that have been established in the research literature. Finally, three constructs significant in the youth development literature (confidence, connection and compassion) emerged as themes in relation to the experiences of the young people in the program. Implications of this study include exploring the impact youth-adult relationships have on adults and investigating how teens as role models or mentors for "littles" impact their feeling of empowerment. Suggestions for replication of this study are also given.

Young people in regional areas of Indonesia are attending school longer, aspiring for degrees and jobs outside of their home community, and learning less about their cultural traditions. In Poso, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, a youth program called Jelajah Budaya, or Culture Exploration, aims to reconnect young people with regional cultural values, motivating them to become actors in preserving their traditions and for positive development. This paper examines the impacts of this program, along with Poso youth identity and aspirations more generally. The project explored these issues with young people in Poso through focus group discussions and Photovoice workshops. Interviews were also conducted with parents, cultural and local leaders, and youth program staff. Participants shared appreciation for how Jelajah Budaya has brought together youth from a wide range of Poso communities, building pride and awareness about regional cultural values. Still, insights from youth participants suggest that building awareness about cultural traditions may not directly translate to community-oriented aspirations or youth seeing their own role in their community's future. The project suggests that Jelajah Budaya should look to engage more directly with youth identities, including as individuals, and to demonstrate the relevance of the region's cultural traditions. Poso youth articulate their identities primarily through communal connections. While they are influenced by the normative ideals of becoming educated and modern, many also have ambitions related to entrepreneurship and some aspire to create jobs in their communities. These insights also echo other studies which demonstrate that regional identity should receive greater attention.

"The problem of this thesis is to determine through survey and comparative study the effect of the activity program of Denton's El Centro, the youth center, on the youth of the City of Denton...methods of operation and internal organization of youth centers, the purpose of the centers and the results of some of the activities are outlined. Members of the Denton youth center were interviewed; the information gained from the interviews was recorded on prepared questionnaires. Various types of activities at Denton's youth center are discussed. The study also attempts to reveal by means of tables those activities which are more important to the male youth of Denton. A discussion of the treatment of the youth problem is given with conclusions based upon the principles and practices set forth in the foregoing chapters."-- leaf 2.