DY wn2 hng ot aftr skool? Short messaging as a tool for recruiting young people to participate in after school programs

Abstract

Engaging youth in positive extra-curricular activities, such as organized clubs and sports can prevent them from engaging in at-risk activities, such as drug and alcohol abuse, criminal activity, and gang involvement. Non-profit service providers, exist to engage youth, 15 24, in positive after school activities, however they often struggle to keep them involved and to recruit new youth for their programs. While there could be a variety of reasons for decreased participation in after school programs, the purpose of this study is to explore ways in which adolescents might use short messaging as part of a coordinated communications strategy with after school programs in order to recruit their peers to participate in these programs. Short messaging is the primary method of communication for young people today. The study involved a local youth serving organization and included a workshop on short messaging and individual interviews with youth, 16-19. Findings are based on emergent themes from the literature and data and further summarized by applying a theoretical framework that considers the formal properties of the communications medium, as well as various implementation considerations in program design. Key learnings from the study are further synthesized into a set of measures and indicators for evaluating a short messaging campaign. The study determined that short messaging is a popular communications tool for young people that has the potential to recruit them to participate in after school programs, however it is not a replacement for other forms of communication. In addition to this, it should also be recognized for its qualities as a medium, such as two way communication and accessibility, as well as the content of the messages. Successful campaigns are those that have strong youth adult partnerships and involve youth in the development and implementation of the campaign. DY wn2 hng ot aftr skool? 6