The top 10 ways to impact at-risk youth in recreation programming.

Over the past 10 years we have seen a refocusing of our profession. We have returned to a more developmental perspective in our recreation programming. The focus is once again on developing the individual rather than just providing diversionary activities and experiences. This re-articulated programming philosophy has been referred to as "Benefits-Based Management of Recreation Services" (BBM). Much of our understanding of this philosophy comes from the pioneering work of Dr. Bev Driver and several colleagues (Driver, Brown, Peterson, 1991; Driver, 1994). More recently, others, such as Witt and Crompton (1996), have emphasized the role that recreation services can play in addressing the problems associated with youth growing up in at-risk environments.

In addition, there have been four demonstration projects throughout the United States, involving youth in at-risk environments utilizing the BBM programming approach. The National Recreation and Park Association, through the National Recreation Foundation (NRF), has funded these demonstration projects. A wealth of information has been accumulated now that the BBM demonstration sites have completed their two-year cycle of programs. These four programs (in Chicago; Prince George's County, Maryland; Rock Hill, South Carolina; and Seattle) have experienced tremendous success. Preliminary results in these cities suggest that recreation programs that follow the BBM programming philosophy can have significant effects on at-risk youth. Some examples of positive outcomes from these programs include increased volunteerism, increased educational involvement, increased participation in job-training programs, increased respect for others, increased levels of perceived abilities, increased sense of social responsibility, and decreased criminal activity. These results are in addition to increases in 10 resiliency factors (Witt, Baker & Scott, 1996), which have been described previously (Allen & McGovern, 1997). Resiliency factors refer to those skills and attitudes that are necessary for an individual to be able to cope and adapt to the everyday stresses of life and be a productive member of society.

While the BBM Activity Planning Model and results from the demonstration projects have been presented in previous issues of Parks & Recreation magazine (Allen & McGovern, 1997; Allen, 1996; Allen, Harwell & Stevens, 1996; Allen, Stevens & Harwell, 1996), supplemental program evaluations from participants, parents, and supervisors have provided additional insights into the critical components of the BBM process. Stemming directly from the demonstration projects, 10 guidelines have been found to have an impact on at-risk youth (Table 1). While these guidelines are certainly nothing new to the experienced programming professional, placing them in the forefront of planning efforts serves to increase the effectiveness of programs. The following is an explanation of these 10 components.

Table 1:
Top 10 Ways to Make an Impact

10.   Plan your programs based upon
      anticipated outcomes and
      impacts.

 9.   Focus on building resiliency in
      participants.

 8.   Plan the program and activities
      well ahead of time.

 7.   Encourage and allow
      participants to be involved in
      the planning process.

 6.   Involve parents or guardians in
      as many ways as possible.

 5.   Understand that recreation
      programs can be adapted to
      real-life issues and that
      recreation can be
      developmental, rather than
      simply diversionary.

 4.   Identify and use those
      "teachable moments."

 3.   Conduct a program evaluation
      as a general part of the
      programming process.

 2.   Impact may be found where
      you least expect them.

 1.   Use the programming
      principles every day.

Plan your programs based upon anticipated outcomes and impacts.

In other words, focus on what you want the participants to achieve and not only on the mechanics of program delivery. It is so easy to get bogged down in the logistical components of program planning: vehicle needs, facility constraints, staffing requirements, and equipment. While these factors are certainly critical to the practical success of the program itself, they may overshadow the more important successes and impacts, relating to what the participants are gaining from the recreation experience. If a program is specifically structured to foster teamwork or to build family bonding, for example, the focus shifts from the means to the end goal. Given this focus, programs are then viewed as a vehicle for achieving significant impacts.

Focus on building resiliency in participants.

Resiliency skills and attitudes have been linked to more well-adjusted personal behaviors such as educational commitment, increased respect and tolerance for others, and reduced anti-social behavior. As stated before, structuring programs to address outcomes can have a tremendous impact on the success of the program. Use the resiliency factors as the target outcomes of the program. Scavenger hunts can be used to increase the participants' knowledge of neighborhood resources, if the hunted items are chosen carefully. Knowledge of positive neighborhood resources is a resiliency factor. A parent-child basketball game can foster a participant's notion that adults care about him or her. Initiative games can engender a sense of acceptance and belonging and can improve the ability to work with others. Any recreation program can be adapted to address one or more of these issues. This process is critical, since we have only begun to discover the impact that resiliency can have on today's youth.

Plan the program and activities well ahead of time.

This gives you the opportunity to think beyond logistics to the potential benefits of the activity. Without advanced planning we cannot design purposive programs that have a meaningful impact on the participants.

Perhaps one reason that logistics tend to be the primary concern of the programmer is that because of a multitude of other responsibilities, advanced planning is very difficult. In "crisis mode," then, the most important issue becomes just pulling off the program from a logistical standpoint. If logistical issues can be addressed before the crunch sets in, the underlying goals of the program can be considered, articulated, and embedded into the program. This serves to make the benefits of recreational programming more intentional, instead of merely serendipitous.

Encourage and allow participants to be involved in the planning process.

Perhaps one of the greatest ways to foster commitment to a program is to allow for "ownership" of the program by the participants. On a fundamental level, it becomes much more difficult for participants to complain that programs are boring or irrelevant if they selected the activities themselves. On another level, it is not uncommon to look at a particular population and decide what we, as recreation professionals, think it needs. Our version of perceived needs may be substantially different from what the participants themselves want or feel they need. We need to balance what we, as professionals, may understand participants need, with the expressed desires of the participants. By allowing participants to contribute to the planning process, we are ensuring that programs are not only meeting their needs but also their wants and interests. This, in turn, should lead to increased commitment. In all four demonstration projects, the young people planned and made many of the decisions regarding activities.

Involve parents or guardians in as many different ways as possible.

One factor that contributes to a young person's resiliency is his or her belief that adults care about and are interested in him or her. What better way to establish this belief than to have a parent or guardian become involved in programming efforts? While the professionals and volunteers who lead programs are certainly positive role models, few would argue that there is any substitute for the love, attention, and support of one's own parents or guardian. Parental or guardian involvement may be substantial within a program where needed expertise and program purpose suggest a high degree of involvement. Or adult participation may simply come through socials, special programs, celebrations, recognition events, or other events that provide additional positive contacts with children. If such programs are not already in place, it is crucial that they be developed. Caring adults help build resiliency, and most parents are caring, but some need an opportunity to be caring.

Understand that recreation programs can be adopted to address real-life issues and that recreation can be developmental, rather than simply diversionary.

It is not necessary to create entirely new programs to teach life skills to participants. Critically evaluating what is already being offered allows the programmer to discover how that activity can be used to help build healthy lifestyles. The goal should be to identify the basic skills that are needed to perform an activity or task well, and then highlight them. For example, a simple basketball game, in addition to teamwork, can teach communication, perseverance, patience, the ability to judge one's own strengths and weaknesses, and respect for authority. However, these skills will not be developed unless they are consciously incorporated into the recreation experience and are focused on during the actual program. Simple adaptations to traditional programs will allow these skills to be developed. As recreation professionals, it is our job to recognize these and other skills that are inherent in our activities and to capitalize on any opportunities to build these skills.

Identify and use those "teachable moments."

A teachable moment is, essentially, an object lesson waiting to happen. It is not enough to assume that the lessons and links described above will be obvious to participants. This is where the art of processing plays a vital role. So many wonderful learning opportunities are lost because participants are not led to see what is already there. Help the participants relate the recreation experience to real-life Situations. Facilitate the transfer of learning from a game or activity to an issue that is relevant to their lives. For example, returning to the basketball game, participants must submit themselves to the authority of the referee if they want to play the game. On a metaphoric level, what is the game? It could be school, home life, or social activities. Who, then, is the "referee" in these others settings that they must subject themselves to if they want to "play?" Why is letting a referee make judgement calls any different from letting a parent, teacher, or police officer make similar decisions about what is acceptable? It may not be necessary to walk participants through the entire process. It may be sufficient to simply pose a couple of open-ended questions to make them think.

With youth in at-risk environments, processing can rarely be formal. It needs to be unobtrusive and fit into the flow of the recreation experience. You need to grasp that point in the action where a simple question or illustration may serve to have the youths see the broader application of their actions. It is very effective when we take the time to relate what is happening in the recreation experience to real-life situations that everyone is experiencing.

Conduct a program evaluation as a general part of the programming process.

Evaluation is part of every program. Without evaluation we have no means of being accountable or promoting our successes. Evaluation should address what the participants liked and did not like, but most importantly, it should address results in terms of impacts or outcomes: resiliency skills and attitudes, employment rate, crime statistics, or other measures that are viewed as important by the professional and other significant stakeholders. At the four demonstration sites, the professionals felt evaluation gave them a focus and clear sense of purpose; they knew why they were offering a program and this motivated them to achieve the desired goals.

Similar to the increased interest by participants as a result of being involved in the planning process, young people will be more committed to the program if they enjoy what they are doing. If they are more committed, theoretically, they will attend more often. Increased exposure to the program increases the opportunities for the program to make an impact. The only way we will know if we are making an impact, however, is to perform regular program evaluations. This cycle should become a regular part of the programming process.

Impacts may be found where you least expect them (or where you may not think to look). Other sources of information, besides a formal evaluation, may provide the most encouragement to you as a programmer. It may be highly unlikely that a participant will approach you to say, "Wow, you sure have made a difference in my life. Thank you." However, a parent may share with you that the child "just can't wait" for the next session. A teacher may tell you that the child's grades have improved as a result of your after-school study hall.

By speaking with law-enforcement officials, you may find that criminal activity had decreased during the hours of your program and, perhaps, within the age group you serve. Coaches may inform you that an individual now passes the ball when he or she used to take futile shots. One of the most rewarding examples of this type of data came from community residents in Chicago who said they felt safer using a local park as a result of the recreation program for gang members. These are valid successes and need to be recorded, both as results and as encouragement.

Use the programming principles every day.

These principles provide a simple list of "do" statements that when applied, are directly conducive to developing resiliency in youths. Based on information from the demonstration sites, a list of the "Top 10 Programming Principles" has been put together (Table 2). These, according to the recreation professionals involved in the BBM demonstration projects, are the 10 most important principles to consider when dealing with at-risk participants. One does not have to restructure the programming process to incorporate these principles into recreation programs on a daily basis. Make a copy of the list and post it in your office, in your programmer's office, or anywhere else that the people who work with your participants will see it. These may, in fact, be the simplest steps toward making an impact on participants.

Table 2:
Top 10 Programming Principles

10.   Provide opportunities to feel
      competent by providing
      consistent opportunities to
      successfully accomplish tasks.

 9.   Provide opportunity to develop
      a close bond with at least one
      adult who gives needed
      attention and support.

 8.   Provide opportunities to
      socialize with peers and adults
      who can serve as role models.

 7.   Provide opportunities to be
      helpful to others.

 6.   Create opportunities for
      problem-solving and group
      decision-making. Include
      initiative and cooperative
      types of games.

 5.   Create opportunities to
      deal with setbacks.

 4.   Provide a high degree of
      participant responsibility.

 3.   Provide consistent
      encouragement.

 2.   Discipline without criticism.

 1.   Provide unconditional
      support and universal
      acceptance.

As stated before, it is unlikely that any of this information is new to the experienced recreation professional. Additionally, this information actually applies to all recreation programming, regardless of the audience. This article, then, represents a paradigm shift back to the way we were taught to plan programs: choose the desired outcomes of the program first, then choose the specific activities of the program. When this is not possible, current or existing programs can be re-evaluated to determine what impacts they are capable of producing in order to make programming more outcome-oriented. Based on results and information from the BBM demonstration sites, this process has been proven to work in very dramatic ways. It becomes obvious, then, that our professional efforts must become more focused and intentional if we wish to reap the fullest benefits from our endeavors.

References

Allen, L. (1996). A primer: Benefits-based management of recreation services. Parks and Recreation, March, 64-76.

Allen, L., McGovern, T., and Panetti, P. (1997). BBM: It's working! Parks and Recreation, August, 48-55.

Allen, L., Harwell, R., and Stevens, B. (1996). Prescriptive recreation programming. Proceedings of the Parks and Recreation in the 21st Century: Chapter III Conference. Myrtle Beach, SC.

Allen, L., Stevens, B., and Harwell, R. (1996). Benefits-based management of recreation services. Journal of Parks and Recreation Administration, 14(3), 10-19.

Driver, B. (1994). The recreation production process: The benefits-based approach to amenity resource policy analysis and management. In Friluftsliv: Effekter og goder, Dn-notat, (pp. 12-30) 1994-1997, Direktoratet for Naturforvaltning Tungasletta 2, 7005 Tronheim, Norway. (Proceedings, Scandinavian Conference on Recreation: Benefits and Other Positive Effects. Norwegian Institute of Nature Studies.

Driver, B., Brown, P., and Peterson, G. (Eds.). (1991). The benefits of leisure. State College, PA: Venture.

Driver, B., Brown, P., Peterson, G., and Bruns, D. (1991). The benefits-based approach (BBA) to leisure policy analysis and service delivery: What is it and why is it needed? Unpublished manuscript. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Forest Service.

Witt, P., Baker, D., and Scott, D. (1996). The protective factors scale. Unpublished manuscript. College Station, TX: Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences, Texas A&M University.

Witt, P. and Crompton, J. (Eds.). (1996). Recreation programs that work for at-risk youth: The challenge of shaping the future. State College, PA: Venture.