Abstract
Community-based afterschool programs remain places that support youth development. However, in most places quality is getting the squeeze, making it more difficult to meet the growing needs of youth and parents. This article describes the impact of increased external and regulatory pressures that have taken hold at a time of reduced financial and social capital. In this article, we name the factors that are creating what we call The Accordion Effect and describe its ‘squeezing’ impact on quality programming. We conclude with recommendations for reclaiming quality youth work, a practice that we believe must remain holistic and emergent.
Highlights
Community-based afterschool programs were described as beacons of hope (McLaughlin, Irby, & Langman, 1994), therapeutic milieus (Glover, 1995), ‘a different kind of child development institution’ (Halpern, 2002), places to imagine the unimaginable (McLaughlin, Irby, & Langman, 1994), and a place to call home (Hirsch, 2005)
They earned these descriptions by creating safe spaces that were responsive to local youth and community context (Charlesworth, 2008; Christens, & Peterson, 2011; Fusco, 2011; VanderVen, 1999) where young people could build a range of competencies and efficacy (National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 2002)
Recollecting on past experiences took on greater importance than we initially intended because it reminded us that youth work is not a one-size-fits-all mould for meeting ‘targets’ but rather is a diverse, plethora of opportunities; a family of practices (Baizerman, 1996) that is potentially transformational and life changing for many young people (Heath & McLaughlin, 1996; Hirsch, 2005; McLaughlin, Irby & Langman, 1994)
Summary
Community-based afterschool programs were described as beacons of hope (McLaughlin, Irby, & Langman, 1994), therapeutic milieus (Glover, 1995), ‘a different kind of child development institution’ (Halpern, 2002), places to imagine the unimaginable (McLaughlin, Irby, & Langman, 1994), and a place to call home (Hirsch, 2005). A program officer at the Robert Bowne Foundation, has used her role to support the development of quality programs that offer literacy education to children and youth living in diverse neighborhoods throughout New York City.
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