Engaging youth for positive change: A mixed methods evaluation of site level program implementation & outcomes

Kyle M. Bennett, Jeanna M. Campbell and Scott P. Hays

Children and Youth Services Review, 2022, vol. 141, issue C

Abstract: This convergent, mixed-methods research presents a site-level assessment of a civic engagement program geared towards middle and high school students (i.e. young people). In Illinois, a majority of young adults (ages 18–29) report discussing sociopolitical issues with friends and family, mimicking national trends. Simultaneously, approximately one in four young people in Illinois physically voted in 2018 elections, and less than 10% reported contacting or visiting public officials. These discrepancies allude to the importance of empowering younger people to engage actively in civic and electoral discourse and processes as a means to improving their communities. Engaging Youth for Positive Change (EYPC) is one example of a civic engagement program for adolescents and young people in the United States. The curriculum guides middle and high school aged people through civic processes including adopting local ordinances by working with city councils or other governing bodies. Researchers collected site level data from EYPC implementation sites (N = 122) across Illinois and there were significant correlations between outcome scores and both number of activities implemented and implementation indices. This manuscript delineates site level aspects of EYPC in detail—including quantitative and qualitative findings from site-level analyses—and discusses implications regarding how EYPC and similar programs may promote civic engagement among youth and young adult populations.

Keywords: Civic Engagement; Youth; Young Adults; Implementation; Evaluation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:141:y:2022:i:c:s0190740922002225

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106586

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