Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Goli Rezai-Rashti
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
after-school activities, after-school programs, after-school sports, age-appropriate activities, collaborative partners, community partnerships, creative activities, middle school, program participation, recreation center, safe environment, staff training, supervised youth, youth development, youth leadership, youth engagement, youth programs, youth risk reduction, youth services, youth violence prevention
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to provide a more attractive after-school program to youth at a middle school. The program was located on the school campus and offered minimal activities, which were facilitated by untrained staff, with limited activity space for the youth to congregate. The program met daily in a school classroom, offering limited supplies and activities to the youth after school. Due to these limitations, very few youth participated in the afterschool program, thereby placing themselves at risk for harmful and inappropriate behaviors in the after-school hours.
The writer developed a more attractive after-school program for the youth. Enhancing the program by adding a recreation center, an after-school sports program, trained staff offering age-appropriate activities, and collaborative partners facilitating special classes such as martial arts were significant in creating a more attractive program for the youth.
An analysis of the data revealed that more youth attended the program on a daily basis and attended more days during the school year than the prior program year. This improvement was primarily due to the addition of the recreation center and age-appropriate activities, as well as strengthening the collaborative relationship with the community that allowed for special classes to be offered as part of the program. More youth were spending time in a safe environment, supervised by caring staff and engaged in creative activities, which lessened their risk for participation in harmful and inappropriate behaviors.