Changing the Status Quo: A Year One Chronicle of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program

Examines the implementation of a federal government/local joint scholarship initiative for underserved youth. Includes a chronicle of activities, profiles of scholarship families, and an outline of lessons learned during the first year of the program

San Francisco Bay Area KIPP Schools: A Study of Early Implementation

Measures how well five San Francisco Bay Area schools have implemented the goals of the Knowledge Is Power Program during the first year of a three-year initiative to prepare underserved urban youth for college

Results of 2007 Survey of Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Providers

This report demonstrates the extent to which homeless youths are underserved in Illinois. Though the statistics show that homeless youth programs are successful in helping youths achieve their potential, far too many youths never have the opportunity to access needed services

Youth Design the Future of Transportation for Their Community

The complexity of a globalized world, accelerating technological advances, and rapid change challenge educational systems. Around the world the call is to develop 21st century skills with a focus on career readiness, ability for lifelong learning, and collaboration skills. The development of the foundational elements of civic engagement (civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions) of children and youth is also a dominant concern for educators and policymakers. Unfortunately, not all youth have the same opportunities to develop civic self-efficacy. However, the civic empowerment engagement gap can be closed by providing underserved students with interactive and authentic civic experiences. We strove to create such an authentic civic experience and piloted the Fresno State Transportation Challenge (FSTI) at an elementary school in the Washington Unified School district, Fresno County, California. The research question for this innovation grant was: Can we leverage the expertise and resources of the Fresno State Transportation Institute to bring high quality educational experience to underserved students and help them improve their communities

Effects of a Physical Activity Intervention on the Stress Reduction of Underserved Adolescent Youth

Stress levels of American teenagers are rising. Studies show that teens are reporting higher stress levels than what they perceive to be healthy and that these levels are higher than the levels of perceived stress reported by adults (APA, 2013). In addition to reporting unhealthy levels of stress, adolescents are reporting feeling overwhelmed and depressed due to their stress (APA, 2013). These findings are especially true for underserved adolescents who are more likely to have exposure to violence, discrimination, racism and conditions of poverty in addition to experiencing the typical stressors associated with adolescence (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2019; APA, 2013; CDC, 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance). Underserved youth also face barriers that prevent them from engaging in PA such as a lack of support and safety concerns (Dubow et al., 1997). Physical activity (PA) has long been known to benefit physical health and has more recently been shown to improve mental health, specifically stress. However, little research has examined how an intervention to increase youth PA can reduce perceived stress and related internalizing symptoms among adolescents. The current study set out to 1) examine the degree to which youth within underserved communities are stressed and experiencing internalizing symptomology considering variations by key youth characteristics (i.e., race, gender, age) and 2) to examine whether youth in the PA intervention have greater reductions in stress and internalizing symptoms as compared to youth in the control from baseline to post-intervention, controlling for individual variances in race, gender, age, and program site. With alarmingly high rates of stress among adolescents, particularly among underserved youth, implementation of a PA intervention within after school programs (ASPs) offers potential to reduce youth stress through improving adolescent PA engagement. ASPs offer a safe, educational and positive environment for students after normal school hours. Findings from the present study determined that in a sample of 338 adolescent youth from underserved communities in the southeast region, baseline stress levels were at similarly high levels compared to national averages and that there were no statistically significant differences by gender, age, race or intervention versus control. However, findings from the study found no differences in students perceived stress or internalizing symptoms between the control and interventions at baseline and endpoint

UM School of Engineering Teams with Tech Firms for STEM Initiative

New E2I programs aim to attract underserved youth and educators to universit

Feasibility of Implementing Community Partnerships to Provide Diabetes Prevention Services to Youth

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) in youth has increased as a result of the obesity epidemic. Diabetes prevention programming is needed for youth, at risk for T2D, and their families. However, there is a lack of diabetes prevention services for this population. There is evidence for the benefit of lifestyle modification for decreasing diabetes risk, however there are barriers for youth to access these services in a traditional clinical setting. Our Youth Diabetes Prevention Clinic (YDPC) created partnerships within the community to increase access to diabetes prevention services for at risk youth. YDPC personnel approached community organizations who had the expertise and capacity to partner in needed areas. These partnerships allowed for the development and facilitation of a community-based diabetes prevention group. Youth and their families participated in a 12 week diabetes prevention group. We measured attendance and participant satisfaction with the program. Families attended an average of 5.1 sessions from January to October 2016. Participant satisfaction was collected five times. Physical activity was rated as “awesome” or “good” by 88% of the respondents. The nutrition activities were rated as “awesome” or “good” by 97% of respondents. Physicians and families express a desire for diabetes prevention services, however barriers make it difficult for families to fully participate. Creating partnerships within the community allows for increased access to diabetes prevention services for high-risk, underserved families

Assessing the Impact of Mentoring Underserved Youth through Service Learning

Mentoring underserved youth through service learning can provide various positive impacts for both mentors and mentees (Banks, 2010; Hughes et al., 2012; Rhodes, Grossman & Resch, 2000; Thompson & Kelly-Vance, 2001; Washburn-Moses, Fry & Sanders, 2014; Weiler et al., 2013). This qualitative interview study assessed the perceived impact that a mentoring program had on mentees, who were underserved youth at an elementary school in a low-income community, and mentors, who were college students participating through a service learning course. The findings revealed overall positive outcomes for both the mentors and mentees. The mentees benefited academically and looked up to their mentor as a role model, while the mentors felt they benefited personally, civically and academically, and they also felt as though they made a difference in their mentees’ life. These findings informed various recommendations, including the expansion of the program, more variations in activities, as well as adding homework help to the mentor training and reflection for the mentors. With these findings, more programs forming relationships with college students and underserved youth should be established in order to allow more individuals to become active and productive members of society

Undercounted, Underserved: Immigrant and Refugee Families in the Child Welfare System

Focuses on the specific needs of immigrant and refugee children in the child welfare system and presents best practices and policy recommendations for better serving these populations

Co-design of youth wellbeing indicators for ICT intervention in an underserved community in South Africa

Thesis (MTech (Information Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019The challenges faced by members of underserved communities in South Africa have frequently been reported in literature. To ameliorate these challenges, different interventions have been introduced both locally and internationally to improve the wellbeing of the members of these communities. One such intervention is the introduction of information and communication technology ICT as a means to close the digital divide and meeting the socio-economic needs of the community. Youth living in these communities are expected to derive more benefit from ICT interventions as they have been reported to be more technology savvy and dependent on technology than the older adults are. However, the failures of ICT interventions deployed by donors have also been reported in literature. Authors have identified several reasons for the failure of ICT interventions, but a lack of consultation with the beneficiaries of this type of intervention is common to many findings. The exclusion of the youth as major beneficiaries of ICT interventions causes a lack of alignment between the interventions deployed for their use and the actual wellbeing needs of the youth in underserved communities. The failure of ICT interventions increases the digital divide and frustrates the good intentions of local and national government as well as international donors to improve the wellbeing of the youth in underserved communities. By using the concept of wellbeing, the study aimed to explore how youth wellbeing indicators can be used to facilitate effective ICT interventions for youth empowerment and development in underserved communities in South Africa. Furthermore, the study aimed todesign an ICT-based artefact to prioritise youth wellbeing indicators in underserved communities in South Africa. The study was implemented through a qualitative research method using a service design strategy that allowed for a participatory research approach and co-design instrument for data collection from the youth living in Grabouw anunderserved community in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Data was collected from 40 youth aged between 15 and 30 at two workshops. Content analysis technique was used to analyse data. Findings from the research show that given the opportunity, the youth are able to determine their social-economic needs. A comprehensive set of wellbeing indicators was developed. Thirteen wellbeing indicators symbolising the issues in the community were prioritised, which are:unemployment, self-image, reaching full potential, family support,access to water, sanitation and electricity,meaning and purpose of life,being healthy,religious practice,educational level,future expectations,freedom of expression,skills to get a job, and access to skills and training. Overall, nine categories of wellbeing indicators were identified; of these, seven are similar to theGlobal Youth Wellbeing Index(GYWI) categories. Three new categories – aspiration, social support, and infrastructure and services – were realised. The three factors are an indication that the Grabouw youth may have special needs different from the global perspective as specified by the GYWI categories. Moreover, the priorities of the wellbeing indicators when compared to the GYWI rating for South Africa differ significantly, which may indicate that the needs of the youth living in underserved communities may vary largelyfrom other youth in the country. Furthermore, an artefact that can be used to prioritise wellbeing indicators was designed. It is important for stakeholders of ICT interventions to embrace participation of the beneficiaries as a means of aligning interventions to their needs. These stakeholders need to seek ways of developing artefacts that address the needs, not limited to health, so that the youth can take advantage of technology to improve their wellbeing on a continuous basis