PASA has been intentional about engaging youth and parents

Youth Development is about: adults getting together to think more about what young people need and want; involving families and youth in determining what is being offered and in having leadership roles; and providing a young person with the supports he or she needs to succeed. Areas where young people develop include (Adopted from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine): 
                             
Emotional - how I feel about things and how do others make me feel inside?
Social - how do I interact with my friends and classmates?
Physical - do I feel healthy and am I active?
Cognitive - do I listen to others and can I analyze/process different situations? 
Personal - who am I and how do I feel about who I am?
Civic Duties - do I care about others and do I help others when needed? 
Vocational - do I think about my future and what do I want to do in the future? 

To learn more about youth development, click here.

HOW HAS PASA BEEN INTENTIONAL ABOUT ENGAGING YOUTH AND PARENTS?

Market Street Research
The Market Street Research Project was a key part of the business plan that led to the award of $5 million to Providence from The Wallace Foundation. The project, conducted in 2004 to inform PASA's planning, consisted of youth and parent focus groups and 200 parent & youth surveys. Top priorities, for both parents and youth were the safety and quality of programs. Click here to view a summary of the results of this Market Street Market Research Project.

Logo and Webpage Development
Youth representatives from Broad St. Studio, New Urban Arts and Providence CityArts took part in a series of charettes that produced the distinctive PASA logo and Webpage design reflecting the uniqueness of Providence.

Quality Standards and Indicators Review
Youth leaders from Youth In Action, Volunteers in Providence Schools, Groundwork Providence, and the Police Activities League as well as parent leaders representing a variety of organizations and communities participated in workgroups that reviewed and edited the emerging quality standards and indicators for the City of Providence. PASA worked with providers, youth, parents and funders to develop a set of quality after-school standards and indicators for Providence that identify common language and agreement across the community on what we mean by a "quality" after school program. Click here to view the Providence After School Standards booklet.

Key Youth Development features incorporated into the Providence After School Standards:

#1: The indoor and outdoor space provides an atmosphere of comfort, ownership, and respect for children, youth and their families.

#2: Staff and volunteers provide opportunities for meaningful engagement of participants' family members.

#3: Staff and volunteers respond in positive ways to the individual needs of children and youth.

#4: Staff relationships with participants are positive, supportive, nurturing, and consistent.

#5: Participants have opportunities to make choices based on interests.

#6: Participants are involved in program planning, development and implementation.

#7: Program activities enhance the positive development of children and youth.

PASA and Parents
PASA has partnered with various parent organizations across the State including The Rhode Island Parent Information Network, Providence School Department?s Public Engagement Office and Making Connections, a community-based organization, to ensure that quality measures are being taken with the consideration for parent concerns and priorities.

In addition to the larger organizations, there have been high levels of parent interest/mobilization at the local level.

District-Wide Student Government
PASA has maintained a relationship with the District-Wide Student Government.  Members of this body have been pioneers of after-school in a variety of ways including being presenters at the AfterZone launch in Providence and speaking before Congressional members on behalf of after-school at The National After School Alliance's 'After School for All Challenge,' in Washington, DC.

Recreation Department
The Recreation Department, in collaboration with Providence Schools, surveyed middle school youth on the types of recreational and sports activities that would be of interest to them. Overwhelmingly, students, both male and female, rated flag-football as a top pick. As a result of this survey, the Recreation Department and Providence Schools hosted a Spring Intramural Pilot. High school youth were stipended to take part and serve as coaches for the younger youth participants.

Professional Development and Quality Improvement - Focused on the BEST Model
The BEST training model is a 32-hour training adopted from the AED's Advancing Youth Development training. It engages providers in being more proactive and intentional about involving youth as partners in their development. The BEST model focuses on youth as assets. Through the Quality Improvement strategy, PASA has identified the BEST training as an opportunity for professional growth and development for youth workers in Providence and as being directly linked to quality improvement in programming. Training is offered four times per year to youth workers from the AfterZones, as well as provider partners to build related practices and approaches. For information on participating, please contact Elizabeth Devaney by phone at 401.490.9599 x 103 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The AfterZones
Sustainable change can only be mobilized with a steady investment in the involvement of community leaders, parents and youth. To learn how to get involved click here.

Youth are critical to the development and implementation of the AfterZone model.  Youth are surveyed at the end of each session on their likes, dislikes, and recommendations for the future.  In addition, PASA held a youth summit on November 7, 2006 to promote youth leadership in the AfterZones and identify strong individual leaders to inform the development in the future of an AfterZone youth advisory board.