Implementation of youth development programs: promise and challenges

Abstract

Purpose The Community Coalition Partnership Program for the Prevention of Teen Pregnancy provided a unique laboratory for observing how youth development projects were implemented in 13 community-based settings. This article focuses on the scope of these efforts, the content of the projects, and their expected outcomes. Methods The investigators inventoried all youth development activities created within the grantee communities between 1997 and 2000 and then surveyed 28 site representatives by telephone. The scope and content of the identified youth development programs were compared with national registries of other such programs. Results The youth development efforts implemented by the 13 grantees were diverse, multi-faceted, and broad in scope. Most were short-term, but reflected a broad base of support for youth development principles among various community partners. Of the array of youth development efforts developed, more than two-thirds targeted three program areas: community services/outreach, education/training programs, or mentoring programs—a pattern found among youth development programs throughout the country. Conclusions Within this partnership, youth development was a better-received framework for mobilizing community partners than were more traditional pregnancy prevention approaches. Communities were successful in creating diverse programs that may have benefits for individual youth, service agencies, and the community at large.