"Why Do Some Programs For Out-of-School Youth Succeed?"
In cooperation with the National Youth Employment Coalition and YouthBuild USA

A Forum — March 5, 2004

Background

Among U.S. 16-24 year-olds, an estimated 2.4 million low-income young people either fail to earn a high school diploma or, even with one, fail to find employment. Since the 1960s, federal and state governments and philanthropic foundations have supported a variety of programs, ranging from the Job Corps, youth service and conservation corps, a variety of job training programs and, most recently, those supported under the Workforce Investment Act. Overall, policymakers have paid scant attention to such interventions, know little about their effectiveness, and do not accord this large segment of our population a high priority in public policy discussions. Today's forum presented overwhelmingly positive findings about one of the premier programs serving out-of-school youth: YouthBuild serves about 6,000 young adults, 72 percent male, in some 200 local multi-racial and multi-ethnic programs in 47 states and jurisdictions.

Professor Andrew Hahn, Brandeis University, shared the preliminary findings of a just-completed survey of 900 graduates primarily from 11 YouthBuild sites. The survey aimed to find out how program participants fared after graduation. The 23 percent of the sample who returned the survey nearly universally agree that YouthBuild helped them to turn their lives around, and that success would have been out of their reach without it. The challenge to performing a study of this nature is that it is very difficult to determine the "counterfactual," that is, what would have happened to the individual had he or she not participated. Certainly some percentage of the target population would have succeeded anyway. Regardless, graduates who responded to the survey have found relatively high rates of success, including 75 percent either in postsecondary education or earning at least $10/hour. In addition, 76% are not dependent on federal programs, i.e., food stamps, unemployment, welfare; 85% are positively involved with their communities, 70 percent are registered to vote, and almost 50 percent voted. Survey respondents are generally optimistic about their future and report very high rates of satisfaction with the program, although many would like to have access to follow-up services and assistance, particularly to help them further develop their work skills.

Professors Erin Horvat and James Earl Davis, Temple University, presented findings from a series of in-depth interviews with 57 graduates of 8 YouthBuild sites. Interviewees were carefully selected to represent a broad cross-section of program participants, including some who had not found success in the labor market or schooling. Survey results reported by Prof. Hahn describe how much YouthBuild makes a difference in the lives of participants, while this series of interviews aims to explain how YouthBuild makes a difference.

Program participants bring very serious and often multiple life challenges with them, including familial abuse, mental illness, family instability, and early parenting. Yet everyone interviewed as part of this study responded positively to the program and felt that they had benefited greatly from participating in it, even if they were not employed or in school at the time of the interview. Interviewers expected that women in the program would want to see a shift in focus away from construction work, but no such preference was expressed. Participants appreciate the discipline imposed by the program, and the "mental toughness" that they develop. Several key program components are at work. First, program staff have high expectations for all participants; for many participants, this is the first time that they had ever been held to high standards. High expectations are coupled with caring and tenacity from staff, so that participants get the message loud and clear that someone in a position of authority is looking for them to succeed. Individualized troubleshooting and staff assistance bolstered the sense among participants that they are valued. Participants enjoy gratification from their work, both through financial incentives built into the program and the pride of a job well done and the respect they receive from members of their communities.

Antoine Bennett, Eden Jobs, described his own experiences with YouthBuild as a 1996 graduate of the program. He expressed no doubt that YouthBuild saved his life by keeping him out of trouble and out of jail, and providing a role model at a time when he was trying to make the hard transition to being a member of the community after spending some time in jail. "It's disheartening to know that there are still students who are going to quit school tomorrow. I was fresh out of prison and mal-adjusted to the community. I'm now a board member of YouthBuild... I went from being a menace to my community to a lay minister. I was a loser and now I'm a leader. Respect for young people is very important. Say your service and be real. YouthBuild - they are role models to youth."

YouthBuild founder and president Dorothy Stoneman, explored the key questions animating YouthBuild and other programs serving out-of-school youth: "What are the essential elements of an effective program? What must be done to ensure that such programs truly meet the needs of the participants and of society at large?" There are several vital "change factors." One is the empowerment of participants by actively seeking and implementing their input on program design, personnel and outreach. Another is the caring that staff provide to participants, which is novel for many of them. YouthBuild "flips the script" for young adults who have been "dissed" - disrespected, dismissed, discriminated against, discouraged, disheartened, dispirited, distant, and disconnected.

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YouthBuild's Formula to Flip the Script

It works when we offer in one package the combination of program elements that disconnected young people need to find, including all of the following:

1. A way to resume their education toward a high school diploma, and college;
2. Skills training toward decent paying jobs;
3. An immediate visible role contributing to the community that gains respect from family and neighbors;
4. Stipends or wages to sustain themselves and their children;
5. Personal counseling from admired and deeply caring role models totally committed to their success who also firmly challenge self-defeating behavior and attitudes.
6. Positive peer support with an explicit value system strong enough to compete with the streets;
7. A mini-community to belong to that stands for something they can believe in and in which everyone is committed to everyone else's success;
8. A role in governance, participating in making important decisions regarding staff and policies in their own program;
9. Leadership development and civic education giving a vision of how they can play an important role in the neighborhood and society, changing the conditions that have harmed themselves and the people they love, and the skills to do so;
10. Assistance in managing money and building assets as in IDAs, scholarships, budgeting;
11. Linkages and placements with colleges and employers; and
12. Support after graduation that goes on sometimes for years as a member of a supportive community.

Q&A

Program costs are around $20,000 per person, which includes the wages that participants receive for their work. With more funding, many program sites could serve more participants. There is a fair amount of stability among the more senior staff, but a high rate of turnover among the program staff. YouthBuild sites are independently run and more than half are affiliated with the national network that adheres to a set of program design and standards. Several of the "lessons" of YouthBuild could be applied to other educational issues, such as preventing dropout and dealing with gangs. One reason that YouthBuild is so effective with gang members is that it provides a sense of belonging and, in some instances, one-on-one assistance to resolve conflict. It also provides a real opportunity to earn money legitimately, which many participants had not been able to do. YouthBuild hopes to expand its services to young adults leaving prison.

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