1. Engaging Youth in Making Communities
Better Places for Young People
University of California, Davis
California Communities Program
David Campbell
Nancy Erbstein
Melanie Moore Kubo
James Fabionar
Whitney Wilcox
Lisceth Cruz Carrasco
Community Development Society Conference
David Campbell UC Davis
Memphis, TN July 27, 2009
2. Overview
Describe the REACH Initiative
Characterize the Setting & Stakes
Ask: Why engage youth in
community change?
Share key findings
Introduce Healthy Youth/Healthy
Regions research project
David Campbell UC Davis
3. REACH Initiative - Goal and Timeline
Sierra Health Foundation
$5 million to grantees in 7communities
in the Sacramento region.
Three-year grant (2007-2010).
Goal:
Youth and adults working together in
communities to increase supports and
opportunities for all youth.
David Campbell UC Davis
4. REACH Initiative - Grantees
Community Grantee/Host Agency
El Dorado Hills Vision Coalition of El Dorado Hills
Galt Galt Joint Union High School District
Meadowview Sacramento Area Congregations Together
(ACT)
Rancho Cordova Cordova Community Collaborative
South Sacramento Mutual Housing Association
Sacramento
West CommuniCare Health Center of West
Sacramento Sacramento
Woodland Yolo Family Resource Center
David Campbell UC Davis
9. Education Funding
California drops from 21st to
35th in the country in per-
21st student funding…
35th
1978 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2008
Education Funding
( om
C pared to other states)
Source: Sacramento ACT
10. Incarceration Rate
… Per Capita Incarceration 689
Increases 5 times
137
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2006 2008
California per Capita Incarceration Rate
( 100,000 residents)
per
Source: Sacramento ACT
14. Population in Poverty, 2003
18
16
14
Percent of Individuals Living Below Poverty Level
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Amador ElDorado Nevada Placer Sacramento Solano Sutter Yolo Yuba
Center for Regional Change UC Davis
15. Race Distribution
100%
90%
80%
70%
HispPct
60%
Percent per Category
AsianPIPct
50% AIPct
BlkPct
40%
WhtPct
30%
20%
10%
0%
Amador ElDorado Nevada Placer Sacramento Solano Sutter Yolo Yuba
Center for Regional Change UC Davis
16. Median 100,000
90,000
Incomes in Zip 80,000
Code Areas 70,000
60,000
Served by 50,000
40,000
REACH 30,000
20,000
10,000
0
EDH GALT MDV RC SSAC WSAC WOOD
David Campbell UC Davis
17. 35
Percent of 30
Families 25
Below Poverty 20
in Zip Code 15
Areas Served 10
by REACH 5
0
EDH GALT MDV RC SSAC WSAC WOOD
David Campbell UC Davis
18. Percentage of 100
Four
Racial/Ethnic 50
Groups in
0
Local Public EDH GALT MDV RC SSAC WSAC WOOD
Schools White 84
4
46
46
5
32
50
23
14
36
39
40
36
56
Latino
African-American 1 2 24 16 15 6 1
Asian- American 3 2 33 6 30 9 4
David Campbell UC Davis
19. REACH Goal
Youth and adults working together in
communities to increase supports and
opportunities for all youth.
David Campbell UC Davis
20. What are some reasons we
might want to engage youth in a
community change effort??
What can they bring that is
unique and valuable??
David Campbell UC Davis
21. Some Rationales for Engaging Youth in Change
To make a compelling case for investment to key
decision-makers.
To tap their labor and energy to accomplish specific
projects.
To model good youth development practice and offer
some direct training to specific youth.
To tap critical knowledge and insights that contribute to
community strategy development.
To mobilize their peers to promote important changes in
youth practice.
To create a strategic constituency that can organize to
change adult practice/policy. UC Davis
David Campbell
22. REACH Theory of Change
and our Evaluation Approach
David Campbell UC Davis
23. Community Gambone Model Development
Action Framework for Youth
E
C
Improve Developmental
Outcomes
B• Learning to be productive
• Learning to connect
• Learning to navigate
D
Improve Long-Term
Outcomes in Adulthood
A
• Economic self-sufficiency
• Healthy family and social
relationships
• Community involvement
Citation: Gambone, M.A., Klein, A.M. & Connell, J.P. (2002). Finding out What Matters for Youth; Testing Key Links in a Community Action Framework for Youth Development. Philadelphia:
David Campbell UC Davis
Youth Development Strategies, Inc., and Institute for Research and Reform in Education. c 2002 by Youth Development Strategies, Inc. and the Institute for Research and Reform in
Education
25. Evaluation Design - Key Questions
Does REACH:
nurture viable coalitions and enhance community
capacity to support youth development?
promote youth engagement as a strategy to enhance
youth development outcomes?
increase meaningful supports and opportunities for
youth in local communities?
enhance youth development outcomes?
suggest lessons for foundation practice and the broader
field of community and youth development?
David Campbell UC Davis
27. The REACH Evaluation - Methods and Data
Methods
Qualitative design: semi-structured interviews, field
observation, and review of key documents.
Data Points
Over a two-year period.
220 semi-structured interviews: 47 youth/173 adults
227 field observations
Review of REACH documents and literature
David Campbell UC Davis
28. Key Preliminary Finding
No clear rationale articulating the link
between youth engagement and
community change.
The Gambone framework focuses on
increasing/enhancing key developmental
supports and opportunities for youth.
It does not speak to the notion of youth as
mechanisms for community change.
David Campbell UC Davis
29. Central Tension
Running a youth program versus focusing
on a community change agenda.
Youth programs
Potential to divert resources from more direct
actions of change.
Pursuing a change agenda
Require structures to work with youth “where they
are.”
David Campbell UC Davis
30. 3 General Approaches Adults Use to
Engage Youth
Focus on deep relationships with youth.
Develop short-term, action oriented
leadership and civic opportunities for
youth.
Pursue community change agenda and
engage youth to advance the plan.
David Campbell UC Davis
31. EDH GALT MDV SSAC RC WSAC WOD
Community X X X X X X
service
Service learning X X X
Youth media and X X
public art
Youth X X X X X
philanthropy
Youth-led X X
research
Youth civic X X X X
engagement
Youth organizing X X
Youth in X X
governance David Campbell UC Davis
32. Deeper Trouble for Coalitions
Creating a strategic focus (r.t. doing lots of
good things without clear goal)
Specific outcome target
Key partners at table
Rationale for youth engagement
Small set of headline indicators to track
David Campbell UC Davis
33. Examples of strategic focus
Reducing drug and alcohol abuse
Decreasing high school dropout
rate/increasing college matriculation rate
Reducing number of 18-24 year olds that
are out-of-school and out-of-work
David Campbell UC Davis
34. Organizational Form Matters
If goal is promoting community scale
change, avoid funding orgs that run
programs
Instead, fund existing or start-up
collaborative, coalition, or community
organizing group
David Campbell UC Davis
40. Next Steps
Healthy Youth, Healthy Regions Study
See: http://regionalchange.ucdavis.edu/
Spatial data mapping
Institutional network analysis
Youth voices for change
David Campbell UC Davis
41. For More Information
REACH evaluation final report Nov. 2010
For information regarding the REACH initiative, visit:
www.reachyouthprogram.org
www.sierrahealth.org
To view the REACH Interim Evaluation Report, visit:
www.ccp.ucdavis.edu
David Campbell UC Davis
42. How might you change your
current practices to incorporate
youth engagement??
David Campbell UC Davis