The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

5019.0: Wednesday, November 13, 2002 - 9:45 AM

Abstract #48300

Designing a participatory program for youth: Lessons learned from a theory-based process evaluation

Arlana Bobo Peterson, MPH, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Rosenau Hall, CB# 7440, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7440, 919-966-3761, arlana93@yahoo.com, Susan T. Ennett, PhD, Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB#7440 Rosenau Hall, School of Public Health-UNC CH, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7440, and Susan Rosman, BA, MEd, The Women’s Center, 210 Henderson St., Chapel Hill, NC 27514.

The purpose of this presentation is to convey lessons learned with respect to implementing participatory programs for youth, particularly middle school youth from underserved populations. This session describes the development, implementation and formative evaluation of a participatory service-learning curriculum for an after-school pregnancy prevention program in North Carolina. The pregnancy prevention program is a collaboration between the resident’s council of area public housing and the local women’s center. The curriculum targets sixth grade females who live in public housing areas and are involved in the after-school program.

Based on the principles of empowerment education (Wallerstein and Bernstein, 1988; Freire, 1970), the curriculum leads learners to: identify a community need, develop a plan of action, and act to bring about change. Although participatory programs have been applied to older youth (Wallerstein, 1994), little information exists about programs applying participatory strategies to young adolescents and pre-teens. The purpose of this project was to employ participatory practices with sixth grade girls and discover the challenges that arise during the process.

The presentation will contain a brief overview of curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation, including theoretical foundations and resources consulted. The formative evaluation will be outlined, followed by answers to the following evaluation questions: Was the curriculum developmentally and culturally appropriate? and Were principles of empowerment and participation able to be implemented as planned? Lessons learned will follow, highlighting the link between service-learning and youth empowerment, issues to consider when working with this population, and how these findings should inform future work with youth.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Children and Adolescents, Health Education Strategies

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Teens Climg High after-school preganacy prevention program, Chapel Hill-Carborro Resident's Council, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Albert Schweitzer Fellowship for community service to underserved populations
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Kids and Teens Participating in Partnerships: Making It Possible

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA