Urban Youth Leader Partnership: Meeting the Needs of Underserved Children and Youth
Description
The Urban Youth Leader Partnership (UYLP), a collaborative initiative among six institutions involved with urban youth development. The general goal of the UYLP is to maintain service in the form of youth development programs to children and youth in underserved communities of our cities. In addition, staff development and program support to school and community youth personnel are vital parts of this initiative.
Relevance and Background
An increasing number of urban and rural youth are challenged by poverty, a dysfunctional welfare system, unemployment, violence and crime, and other elements of a socially and economically toxic environment. For many of these underserved youngsters and their families, schools, community recreation centers, and Boys and Girls Clubs have become "urban sanctuaries." Often these service providers struggle to meet the demands of an increasing at-risk population. At the same time, universities are being called upon by civic leaders to be responsive to the needs of the community. This call asks that university faculty work with kids and actively engage in helping the community address its problems. The university's agenda must focus on connecting the ivory tower to its major constituencies - e.g., leaders and instructors in schools, social agencies, and other community programs. This requires that universities integrate the tripartite of research, teaching, and service, into the overall mission.
Six faculty in various stages of their careers in exercise and sport science have taken different paths to arrive at the same place: they want to help underserved youth by providing sport and mentoring programs and linking professional preparation and service learning programs to them. Specifically, the partnership includes Don Hellison of the University of Illinois at Chicago, James Kallusky of California State University at Los Angeles, Nick Cutforth of the University of Denver, Tom Martinek of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Missy Parker and Jim Stiehl of the University of Northern Colorado. All these faculty either direct, teach, and/or mentor in youth programs based on Don Hellison's Personal and Social Responsibility Model. Their work involves university faculty and undergraduate and graduate students who leave the comfort of their ivory tower to provide service for inner city kids. Faculty and students also collect and analyze program evaluation data in order to assess their impact on kids and improve the programs.
The Roles of the Partnership
The general goal of the UYLP is to provide a network for operating programs based on a social and personal responsibility model. The model consists of five levels of functioning: 1) Self-control and respect for others; 2) Effort; 3) Self-direction; 4) Caring for others; and, 5) Outside the gym (taking the first four goals that are worked on in the clubs and extending them outside the gym). Staff development opportunities are provided for professionals who work with children and youth in school and various community programs, as well as other university personnel who wish to get involved with similar programs. In particular, the UYLP is guided by the following objectives:
1. To
continue to help elementary, middle, and high school youth resist and avoid
challenges related to drugs, poverty, neglect, and exposure to criminal
behavior. Accordingly, all 6 sites maintain:
• in-school and extended day Sports Clubs that focus on the development
of personal and social responsibility. Currently all UYLP programs utilize
five goals of functioning:
• in-school mentoring programs that attempt to get the club members
to transfer the goals and values of the Sports Clubs to the classroom.
• assistance for parents and teachers to help students become effective
goal setters in the home and classroom settings.
2. To
continue and expand opportunities for apprentice youth leaders to develop
leadership skills and decision-making capabilities. Apprentice youth leaders
are "veteran" club members who are now in high school. They are
given the responsibility to:
• conduct physical activity lessons teaching the five goals of personal
and social responsibility to elementary-age children.
• conduct reflection sessions that help youngsters gain greater insight
into their own values about personal and social responsibility.
• maintain consistent attendance in high school.
3. To
offer personnel involved in university, school and community youth programs,
workshop opportunities. Each workshop provides a forum for sharing ideas
and addressing the following issues:
• setting up and running sport clubs based on the responsibility model.
• developing mentor programs based on the responsibility model. This
will include guidelines for mentor training and monitoring.
• establishing apprentice teacher programs for older youth who are
veteran sports clubs members. This will include guidelines for training
and supervision.
• describing ways for evaluating and disseminating the products of
sports clubs, mentoring and apprentice teacher programs.
• providing strategies for soliciting parent involvement in youth program.
• describing current research related to youth development programs
and its implications for program development.
The UYLP and their universities are committed to working with underserved youth and families in their surrounding communities and others in the state. Each institution offers excellent resources and facilities to meet the needs of the programs and the people they serve. Underserved neighborhoods and communities are everywhere as evidenced by our work in Los Angeles, Greensboro, Greeley, Chicago, and Denver. The experiences and insights gained from our combined 60 plus years of work with underserved youth would be invaluable information for other community service providers.
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