The City of Toronto experienced a particularly tremulous year in 2005. Dubbed the "year of the gun," the marked increase in violence among racialized youth lead to an increase in community cultural programming. These programs provide safe productive environments for youth to gather and develop self esteem and as well as important marketable life skills for the labour force. However there is currently a disconnect between these programs and the valuable training that they are imparting to youth. The traditional training and learning-to-work transitions have not enjoyed the success that was envisioned in the early stages of these initiatives. Through interviews and observation, the research documented in this thesis offers an opportunity for practitioners, policy makers and program funders to re-think the traditional approach as it relates to the arts and cultural programs for racialized at-risk youth in Canada's largest urban centre.

The City of Toronto experienced a particularly tremulous year in 2005. Dubbed the "year of the gun," the marked increase in violence among racialized youth lead to an increase in community cultural programming. These programs provide safe productive environments for youth to gather and develop self esteem and as well as important marketable life skills for the labour force. However there is currently a disconnect between these programs and the valuable training that they are imparting to youth. The traditional training and learning-to-work transitions have not enjoyed the success that was envisioned in the early stages of these initiatives. Through interviews and observation, the research documented in this thesis offers an opportunity for practitioners, policy makers and program funders to re-think the traditional approach as it relates to the arts and cultural programs for racialized at-risk youth in Canada's largest urban centre.

This dissertation examines the experiences of foster youth as they prepare for life after emancipation from state custody. Every year in the U.S., around 25,000 youth in foster care reach the legal age of emancipation and subsequently leave state’s custody. Colloquially, this transition is known as “aging out”. Although the youth who “age out” are legally considered adults, few are ready to meet the challenges of adulthood independently. These youth are more likely than their same aged peers to end up incarcerated, face unemployment or underemployment, drop out before finishing high school, and experience substance abuse problems or a mental health disorder (Shirk & Stangler, 2005). This study adds to the growing body of knowledge about the experiences of teenaged youth “aging out” of foster care. Though empirical studies have documented challenges facing emancipated youth (Craven & Lee, 2006), very little work has examined the actual experiences of emancipation from the perspective of youth and their guardians. Using illustrative case methodology, this dissertation captures life story perspectives on the experiences of teenaged foster youth and their guardians as they prepare for life after emancipation. A qualitative approach was utilized to provide experiential data to inform the practice standards and program effectiveness associated with the services and supports these youth received while in custody of the State’s Department for Youth and Families. A project of the Vermont Research Partnership, the study was able to utilize logistical and ethical consultation from state agency leaders during the development of methodology. The findings describe and analyze the challenges and successes that youth in foster care encounter as they prepare for life after emancipation. Interview data with youth, guardians and service providers highlighted themes related to preparedness including the barriers to youth perceptions of adulthood, the ubiquity of trauma experiences, the cost of staff turnover, the importance of long term relationship, and the “pull” of the biological family. The results of the study reveal a complex intertwining of personal, familial and systemic issues that converge to hinder preparedness for independent living despite the determined efforts of foster parents, service providers, families and the youth themselves. The study suggests areas for future research as well as policy recommendations related to service provision for teenaged youth in custody as well as emancipated youth.

Theses (M.A.)--Marshall University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Document formatted into pages: contains 52 p. Bibliography: p. 38-43.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Information Technology in the Faculty of Informatics and Design, at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / Transitioning from childhood to adulthood is typically coupled with many puberty related challenges, and such challenges are heightened by access deficiency to reproductive health information. The situation is worsened in under-resourced communities in Southern Africa as the youth’s socio-economic status is hampered by a lack of timely informed education. Such youth groups are referred to as youth-at-risk. The youth are the most affected in recent days as they are exposed to various health disturbances. The youth need to be aware of critical life information, particularly reproductive health information, in order to make better choices. With mobile technology being an integral part of everyday life and more appealing to the youth, opportunities are opened up for the use of mobile functionalities or an extension thereof to provide relevant mobile-based services for information access. Recently, health information is shared and is accessible on different mobile platforms. This research project focuses on mobile-based services to promote reproductive health information for youth-at-risk groups, aged 18 to 24 from the Grabouw community in the Western Cape of South Africa. Most of mobile technology’s solutions and proposed mobile-based services come from elsewhere with little or no consideration of the communities and people who will use these services. The youth was engaged in different activities as participants to design a mobile-based service to promote reproductive health information, putting them at the center of the design process as design partners. Service design methods and tools were used as the methodology in a systematic manner. A Double Diamond framework consisting of four phases (Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver) was followed in order to collect the data. The phases guided the design process from ideation to co-designing of the service prototyped herein. Different ways of accessing information especially reproductive health information by youth-at-risk were identified. The available technology and existing practices to access reproductive health information were also identified. Results clearly indicate that the youth are motivated to use mobile phones to share and receive health information. The youth currently have access to reproductive health information and services, however some services require the youth to travel long distances by vehicle or by walking. The youth walk as a result of lack of transport in some locations because there is no infrastructure in place to support vehicles. Furthermore, the information available to the youth currently is not contextualised, therefore making it irrelevant with consideration to resources available in this particular community. The research project recommends that when a solution is being designed for any community, all the relevant stakeholders have to be involved in the design and development process to allow for a co-design interaction that allows for a usable and relevant solution design with and for the intended users. Involving the user in the design process accelerates adoption if an innovation and easy technology appropriation in the user’s environment. The users add the value needed as they are sharing knowledge, experiences and way of doing things which have a positive effect on the solution. The study recommends service to be developed in the future according to the findings herein. The implementation, testing and use of the mobile-based service (RHIAY) prototyped in this thesis are for future work.

It is believed that an effective way of reducing levels of juvenile delinquency is to implement preventative programs for young children. This research explored the use of a youth gardening project as a preventative program by examining the effects on self-concept. The study involved two groups of inner city youth participating in a Department of Parks and Recreation summer program. The test group participated in gardening activities while the control group did not. Self-concept was evaluated using the Self Perception Profile for Children in a pre- and post-test format to measure any change through participation in the program. Participants were also asked to draw a picture of a garden and the test group completed a questionnaire on their gardening experience. Results indicate an increase in self-concept in the gardening group. A comparison of drawings from the two groups suggests that the gardeners have a better understanding of plant anatomy and diversity. Questionnaire responses indicate that students enjoyed gardening, felt and behaved better when gardening, and thought they learned through the garden. Many difficulties greatly reduced sample sizes for this research. Future research must find ways to overcome these issues. A survey was conducted to explore common difficulties associated with research on the benefits of horticulture programs for youth. Findings from this survey are discussed, including suggestions for improving research and directions for future studies. / Master of Science

Approximately forty percent of youths’ waking hours are unrestricted and not committed to activities such as eating, sleeping or going to school. Many of this free time is spent without companionship or supervision from adults, which puts them at risk of spending their time out on the streets, where the risk of succumbing to peer pressure and becoming involved in inappropriate or illegal activities is increased. The absence of structured activities, stimulation and support can lead to youth becoming involved in rebellious and unwanted behaviour, partly due to their continuous search for adventure and excitement. Learners with Mentally Mild Learning Disabilities (MMLD) can be seen as youth at risk because of their academic and behavioural problems. Learning disabilities can increase the risk factors for delinquency and substance dependence. Previous research suggests that adventure-based experiential programmes (AEPs), which are highly structured, can thus be a very powerful intervention or prevention medium to empower youth at risk to overcome obstacles through the acquisition and practise of skills. The purpose of the study was firstly to determine what the personal functioning profile of MMLD youth looks like, which was done in order to gain insight into the different aspects of the personal functioning, which were focused on when developing the AEP. The study was secondly done to determine what the role of an AEP is on the personal functioning of learners with MMLD. Books, journals, dissertations, theses and internet sources were used to do a thorough literature review. The literature review was done in order for readers to understand the link between MMLD youth and an AEP. The literature review gave an introduction to the phenomenon of MMLD youth and also explained how an AEP could be beneficial towards them. A qualitative research design was used by the researcher in the form of an instrumental case study. Case studies make it possible for the researcher to use qualitative as well as quantitative constructs for data gathering purposes. Sampling of participants was done in two steps. A school for Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN) (Die Wilge High School) was sampled through purposeful sampling by means of criterion-based sampling techniques. The second step was to sample fourteen male learners from Die Wilge High School through purposive sampling. The personal functioning was determined by using the Youth at Risk Assessment Scale (YAR3) Questionnaire 3. The researcher made use of semi-structured, one-on-one interviews and field notes in order to gather data. The field notes and transcribed interviews were analysed in order to obtain a clear picture of the content, which was then used to identify the codes. After the data was analysed four main themes, each with its own categories, were identified. The themes related to the personal functioning of the youth and consisted of interpersonal relationships, trust, self-worth and perseverance. The learners had positive feedback regarding their interpersonal relationships, trust, self-worth and perseverance before participation in the AEP. This was attributed to the Strengths-based Approach which the researcher followed in the development of the AEP. Despite this positive feedback, the learners still felt that there was an improvement after the AEP in all of the areas. Most of the learners attributed the improvement to learning more about each other, learning to work together and building friendships among each other. These new found friendships made it easier to trust each other and believe in themselves. The learners also realised that they experienced more positive feelings from persevering than when they quit. The results were used to discuss the objective of the study and to determine if the researcher met the objective. / MA (Recreational Science), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Approximately forty percent of youths’ waking hours are unrestricted and not committed to activities such as eating, sleeping or going to school. Many of this free time is spent without companionship or supervision from adults, which puts them at risk of spending their time out on the streets, where the risk of succumbing to peer pressure and becoming involved in inappropriate or illegal activities is increased. The absence of structured activities, stimulation and support can lead to youth becoming involved in rebellious and unwanted behaviour, partly due to their continuous search for adventure and excitement. Learners with Mentally Mild Learning Disabilities (MMLD) can be seen as youth at risk because of their academic and behavioural problems. Learning disabilities can increase the risk factors for delinquency and substance dependence. Previous research suggests that adventure-based experiential programmes (AEPs), which are highly structured, can thus be a very powerful intervention or prevention medium to empower youth at risk to overcome obstacles through the acquisition and practise of skills. The purpose of the study was firstly to determine what the personal functioning profile of MMLD youth looks like, which was done in order to gain insight into the different aspects of the personal functioning, which were focused on when developing the AEP. The study was secondly done to determine what the role of an AEP is on the personal functioning of learners with MMLD. Books, journals, dissertations, theses and internet sources were used to do a thorough literature review. The literature review was done in order for readers to understand the link between MMLD youth and an AEP. The literature review gave an introduction to the phenomenon of MMLD youth and also explained how an AEP could be beneficial towards them. A qualitative research design was used by the researcher in the form of an instrumental case study. Case studies make it possible for the researcher to use qualitative as well as quantitative constructs for data gathering purposes. Sampling of participants was done in two steps. A school for Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN) (Die Wilge High School) was sampled through purposeful sampling by means of criterion-based sampling techniques. The second step was to sample fourteen male learners from Die Wilge High School through purposive sampling. The personal functioning was determined by using the Youth at Risk Assessment Scale (YAR3) Questionnaire 3. The researcher made use of semi-structured, one-on-one interviews and field notes in order to gather data. The field notes and transcribed interviews were analysed in order to obtain a clear picture of the content, which was then used to identify the codes. After the data was analysed four main themes, each with its own categories, were identified. The themes related to the personal functioning of the youth and consisted of interpersonal relationships, trust, self-worth and perseverance. The learners had positive feedback regarding their interpersonal relationships, trust, self-worth and perseverance before participation in the AEP. This was attributed to the Strengths-based Approach which the researcher followed in the development of the AEP. Despite this positive feedback, the learners still felt that there was an improvement after the AEP in all of the areas. Most of the learners attributed the improvement to learning more about each other, learning to work together and building friendships among each other. These new found friendships made it easier to trust each other and believe in themselves. The learners also realised that they experienced more positive feelings from persevering than when they quit. The results were used to discuss the objective of the study and to determine if the researcher met the objective. / MA (Recreational Science), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Since its inception in 1993, nearly 90,000 high school dropouts have completed the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, a youth diversion program for unemployed high school dropouts. As of 2008, 27 states have partnered with the military to implement this residential program for at-risk youth. There is limited research on this new social welfare program despite its representing a dynamic military-state-welfare relationship. This study examines state-level conditions and looks to answer three research questions: 1) Under what conditions do states start a ChalleNGe program?; 2) What role do time-varying social and economic factors have in influencing states to initially adopt the program?; and 3) To what extent does the racial composition of program sites reflect the racial composition of its host state's young high school drop-outs? I examined state-level social and economic conditions using data from a variety of federal agencies and public opinion surveys. I examined social and economic circumstances that may have influenced state-level participation. Due to the nature of time-dependent variables and states' launching programs as various times since 1993, I used an event history analysis to predict the timing of initiation of a ChalleNGe program. The results of this research indicate that high unemployment rates and low high school graduation rates increase the likelihood that a state will create a ChalleNGe program. The results from this study provide insight into the creation and expansion of the ChalleNGe program as well as the changing role of military as a part of the welfare state.

An abundance of research exists on youth at risk of school failure; however, in-depth qualitative studies that examine the perspectives of youth in Canadian schools are limited (Thiessen & Cook-Sather, 2007). In the spring of 2014, 12 youth from alternative schools and special programs, in one Saskatchewan urban setting, were interviewed. Rich qualitative data was gleaned from interviews to understand: What factors are most relevant to the success or failure in school for youth at risk? The term, at risk was defined for the purpose of this study based on attendance in an alternative school or special program verses a mainstream school. Alternative schools and special programs are designed to support youth struggling with a variety of issues that can stand in the way of school completion. These schools and programs support youth with a variety of concerns, including, but not limited to: truancy, behaviour, mental health, addictions, and other risk enhancing factors that exist in student’s personal lives (Cuddapah, Masci, Smallwood, & Holland, 2008; McCann & Austin, 1988). The participants in this study reflected on their needs, shared their school experiences, and made suggestions. Through an analysis of the interviews eight factors emerged as being relevant to success or failure in school: teachers, the work, relationships to staff in schools, supports in the school, school and classroom environment, peers, mental health and addictions, and transitions. Based on the eight factors, suggestions are made for schools to support the needs of those most at risk of school failure.