PA-YD 1: Outreach and Program Accessibility
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The agency collaborates with community partners and resources to reach local youth and minimize barriers to their participation.
Interpretation: The agency should access all possible sources of subsidy that can help make the
program affordable for families.
Interpretation: The accessibility of the program, including hours-of-operation, location, and cost all affect whether or not a program will be used. Barriers to participation can include, but are not limited to:
- Transportation;
- Child care;
- Location;
- Language;
- Fees-for-service;
- Limited hours; and
- Unpublicized or unreliable program information so youth don’t know what is offered or can’t depend on activities they are interested in being offered on a regularly scheduled basis.
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Research Note: Due to older youth’s increased need for autonomy, the ability to reach the facility through self-transportation (e.g., biking, skateboarding, walking) is very important to teenagers. Youth who reported traveling to the facility using some form of self-transportation had higher rates of attendance. |
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The agency conducts ongoing outreach to inform and educate the public about:
- program goals and the activities offered; and
- the benefits of the program, and the impact on youth and families served.
The agency encourages a high level of participation by:
- offering engaging activities appropriate to the interests, needs, ages, abilities, and developmental levels of youth;
- instituting flexible attendance policies, when appropriate;
- scheduling programming during hours when youth can fully participate in activities and utilize facilities;
- designing a program environment that appeals to youth of all ages for which services are provided; and
- meeting an identified need in the community.
Interpretation: It is important that attendance policies reflect the fact that older youth have increasing competition for their time including work, extra-curricular activities, and more responsibility at home. As such, their dependence on the program and/or involvement should be expected to fluctuate over time.
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Research Note: Research has shown a significant drop-off in attendance rates among youth aged 15 and older in youth development programs. Surveys of teenage participants have found that offering a dedicated space where teens can socialize away from younger participants is critical to attracting teenagers to the program and keeping them involved over time. Teens should be involved in planning their space to ensure it is reflective of their unique needs and interests. |
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Research Note: Studies of youth development programs have shown that the barrier to participation that youth most frequently cite is a lack of engaging, age-appropriate activities. |
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The agency publicizes programming information in areas where youth and families are likely to access it.
Interpretation: Programming information should include a list of activities and the dates and times they are offered. Areas where youth and families are likely to access information include local schools, youth hang-outs, housing developments, youth-serving agencies, police departments, homeless shelters, newspapers, websites, parks and public recreational facilities, religious institutions, or community calendars. The agency may ask partners to post flyers or make referrals to the program or involve older youth participants in reaching out to their peers. This is particularly important when reaching out to older youth, who have more control over how they spend their time, and at-risk youth, who may not have come in contact with the program otherwise.
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Research Note: Given young people’s increasing reliance on technology to stay connected to one another, the Internet may be an effective method for recruiting, engaging, and retaining youth. |
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