guide to youth programs

Best Practices GuideCit y

eat . grow . shareGreenest

Youth Programs

Cit yeat . grow . share

GreenestThis booklet is designed to give many different groups the basic information they need to get their youth projects off the ground, and then to both sustain and help them thrive. These methods are in no way meant to be complete, they are a collection of practices our organization has found to be useful and constructive. Please pick and choose those that seem to apply to your own situation.

We would like to thank these organizations for their generous support to make this Guide possible:

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GreenestVisit us at www.greenestcity.ca

Best Practices Guide-Youth and Children

Children and Youth Programs

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Environment, Community, Diversity

Welcome to Greenest City’s Best Practice Guide to Child and Youth Programming. The term “Best Practice” has been used to describe “what works” in a particular situa-tion or environment. Here we have used the successful Growing the Future and Growing the Future Kids programs as models of Best Practice. As good consumers of information, please keep in mind that a particular prac-tice that has worked for a program within a given set of variables may or may not yield the same results across other educational environments. Professional wisdom and expe-rience should be used by educators to adapt to specific circumstances or environments in the area they plan to develop an education-al program.

Growing the Future: A Model for Children and Youth Programs

Growing the Future is a local food and community gardening program that offers the diverse youth of Parkdale the capacity, support and space needed to develop their potential for leadership and improve environ-mental and community health.

At the core of Growing the Future activities is a weekly after school program, consisting of garden and food related activities, with the overarching theme of leadership and social and environmental justice.

The two-hour sessions alternate between knowledge building, personal development and hands-on activities. During the growing season these sessions are focused around Greenest City’s community gardens and the skills needed to grow food in the urban environment. These in-garden sessions will be complemented by indoor workshops and educational activities, community kitchen work and personal development sessions. These are designed to empower the partic-ipants to become more involved with the

We build healthy inclusive neighbourhoods through education and empowerment to preserve, protect and improve the environment.

Greenest City Community Gardens Best Practices Guide 2012

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mentors to the younger youth.

Since launching Growing the Future in early 2010, Greenest City has successfully engaged an average of 25 youth over each of the 9 program sessions (Spring 2010 to Winter 2013). The youth involved are representative of the diversity of Parkdale, with over 80% of partic-ipants reporting that they speak languages other than English at home and 15 different native languages represented among par-ticipants. Feedback from the youth and the community has been overwhelmingly posi-tive, with a significant number of participants reporting that they are taking what they learn home and helping their family. The program is also providing an important opportunity to take part in non-sports based recreation, making connections with other youth who share their interest.

Growing the Future Program is designed for youth 13-15; their siblings who are under 12; and past program participants aged 15-17.

local food movement and related environ-mental activities. Participants will also have the opportunity to apply their new skills in the community by taking part in existing commu-nity initiatives, such as buying food at local farmer’s markets and planning and preparing a ‘local’ feast for their peers and other com-munity residents.

In addition to the efforts of Greenest City staff, the program is facilitated by a team of youth mentors, aged 15 to 17 years.

Growing the Future

This team of young people is made up of previous program participants and more ex-perienced youth who help to deliver Growing the Future programming and act as peer

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Sibling ProgramWhile Growing the Future and the Youth Mentor Team have been successful in the community, and attendance rates for many participants remained above 80%. However, through participant feedback and exit interviews with those needing to leave the program, we have identified an unexpected barrier to involvement. In this community, where many families struggle to make ends meet, both parents often work but lack the money for child care. As a result, many young people in the 12 to 17 age range are responsible for taking care of younger siblings after school and are unable to participate in programming that involves only themselves. Youth participants are also often responsible for child care during family emergencies or when one parent is ill, at an appointment

or perhaps travelling out of the country.This results in many missed sessions or in some cases, the addition of younger children to a program which was not designed to ac-commodate them. This is the case with 15 year-old Arjheanne, one of our most enthu-siastic participants in the spring of 2010, who found herself unable to continue as a Youth Mentor despite her desire to do so because her mom’s new job made it necessary for her to take on the role of family caregiver.

All of programs promote active and healthy choices and create opportunities for social and environmental change. We equip and inspire residents to achieve local solutions to improve food security and the state of the environment.


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In response to this barrier, Greenest City created a children’s program that would run simultaneously with Growing the Future, centered on the same themes of food, gardening and environment. The program would run from September to June for par-ticipants aged 11 years and younger and would build on Greenest City’s experience in children’s programming. Each week of the Growing the Future children’s program would focus on hands-on, sensory activities using colour, smell, taste and sound to help children explore their relationship with food and the environment. At the end of each ses-sion, the children would join their siblings and other Growing the Future and Youth Mentor participants to share a meal created by the older group. The program could accommo-date 10 to 15 children per session, with each session being run by one Greenest City staff,

one trained adult volunteer and two Youth Mentors. Priority would be given to those chil-dren with siblings in Growing the Future, and any spots remaining could then be filled by other interested children in the community.

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Where is the program going to take place? Develop a neighbourhood profile and find a program location that is suitable to the types of programs and accessible to the partic-ipants. Where possible take the program outside. Spending more time outdoors will enable participants to build a stronger con-nection to nature and thereby help reduce ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’.

PLACE-BASED EDUCATION:

Places that are known deeply are more likely to be appreciated and valued, which can lead to stewardship activities. It is a powerful thing to somehow connect learners to the place in which they live: that ‘geography’ could be their neigh-bourhood, their community, or their eco-system, depending on your program.

- Adapted from ACEE, 2012

Why is the program important? Laying out specific program goals and objectives will help guide from development to delivery and into the future. In the case of Growing the Future we identified a gap in available

programs for youth aged 13-15, where they were too old to take part in children’s pro-grams and too young for employment. The programs developed were therefore devel-oped to engage youth in activities that are educational but also fun and interesting.

What is the program format? Program formats should be developed so that activities are accessible, relevant and interesting to all participants.

When will the program take place? It is important to consider the timing of the programs so that it will both meet the needs of the participants but also that it does not conflict with other concurrent programs. In the case of Growing the Future, an af-ter-school approach was adopted. Other options: Summer, spring/winter break, lunch or weekend.

Guiding Questions

When developing your program it is essential to consider the following questions BEFORE

you design your program:

Who is your target audience? Understanding the target audience will help direct the con-tent and format of programs. Furthermore, knowing your audience will help develop programs that are accessible, inclusive, developmentally appropriate and engaging to all.


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Human ResourcesCOORDINATORS: Staff are experienced, excellent facilitators and supervisors, compassionate, professional, and are able to relate positively to youth and children.

• Policies/Training – Organizational and program policies (registration, media release, health and safety, harassment, security etc.) are implemented. All staff are well trained and oriented before the beginning of the program. Background and vulnerable sector checks are done on all staff.

• Support from Director – Staff should receive appropriate support from the program director. Staff meet regularly with director to discuss the effectiveness of the program

• Professional Development – Staff participate in professional development courses and training to further develop their skills and interests

EXPERT INVOLVEMENT: Bringing in experts and building partnerships with community groups greatly enhances the content and variety in the programs. Moreover, links are built between the participants and the community by bringing in community partners to share their expertise. For example: bringing in a guest chef for a culturally-relevant cooking program.

Youth Program Development Checklist

Greenest City is growing a Green Workforce.

o

8 In designing an effective program

one should consider the following:

STRUCTURE WITH FLEXIBILITY: Establishing a routine and schedule with some degree of flexibility built in to allow young people to pursue interests and finish projects

VARIETY OF APPROPRIATE ACTIVITIES: Ensure age-appropriate and culturally-relevant activities such as cooking, gardening, holiday celebrations, craft projects, outdoor activities and field trips

CHOICES: Give participants the ability to choose their preference to ensure they have program buy-in.

VOLUNTEERS:

• Recruitment – Use a variety of channels to ensure that recruitment is fair and equitable. Screening for highly qual-ified and diverse group of adult volunteers should be done to ensure the volunteers are able to effectively support the program.

• Orientation/Training - Program policies and procedures (health and safety, harassment, security etc.) are estab-lished prior to beginning the program. All adults are well trained and oriented before the beginning of the program. Background and vulnerable sector checks are done on all staff.

• Professional Development – opportunities to develop skills through training and program development and fa-cilitation

YOUTH MENTORS: See mentorship program

Program Development &Delivery


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OPPORTUNITIES TO GIVE INPUT AND DEVELOP RESPONSIBILITY: Opportunities for youth and children to gain a sense of ownership and empowerment, develop responsibility, and select activities that reflect their interests

EXPLORATION OF SKILLS AND INTERESTS: Chances to develop hobbies, skills, interests and get excited about learning

DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SKILLS: Activities, behaviour guidance, and discussions that offer youth and children opportunities to develop social skills, public speaking experience and positive character traits; opportunities for young people to develop self-confidence as they find new talents in areas typically not addressed by regular school curriculum.

OPPORTUNITIES TO DO SOMETHING Provide skill-building activities and other hands-on activities that help youth see tangible results

- Adapted from: NOIST, n.d.

Mentorship Program

• Recruitment – Developing a youth mentor ‘in training’ program gives the opportunity for the senior participants to work towards becoming a Youth Mentor upon ‘graduating’ from the youth program. Recruiting youth who have been through the program gives them real ownership over the program as well as direct experience in the program.

• Orientation - Program policies and procedures (health and safety, harassment, security etc.) are established prior to beginning the program. All youth mentors are well trained and oriented before the beginning of the program.

• Training - Developing regular training program which gives youth mentors the opportunity to develop skills in leadership, modeling behavior, conflict resolution, program development and facilitation.

• Involvement – Youth mentors roles can vary greatly but can include: modeling behavior, peer mentorship and given adequate training and support, youth mentors can be given the opportunity to develop and lead or co-lead activities.

Safe and Inclusive Program rules and procedures (health and safety, harassment, anti-bullying, sign in/out, lateness, absence etc.) should be established and made clear to all participants at the beginning of the first program session. A set of ‘community rules’ should be developed by the participants themselves so that they understand them and are

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Environmental Guidelines Organizational policies, protocols and procedures should be developed, followed and monitored to ensure the organization, personnel and programs comply to an environmentally responsible directive

• Activity eco-protocol

• Purchasing

• Transportation

• Child and Youth programs

o Improved ecological literacy

o Lessen ecological impact

Greenest City focuses on three integrated program streams: education, food security/urban agriculture and growing a green workforce.

more closely bound by them. These rules can be developed using the ‘Gallery Walk’ format discussed in the Evaluation section. Participants should be supervised at all times by qualified adults.

Ratio 1:8An ideal ratio of adults to participants is 1:8. Staff, adult volunteers, youth mentors as well as the participants should all be engaged in keeping the program safe and inclusive. Conflicts should be dealt with swiftly and in an appropriate manner so they do not escalate.


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Evaluation – Program evaluations should include an element of participatory evalua-tion so that participants, youth mentors and volunteers have the opportunity to offer their input to improve the programs. Furthermore, active participatory evaluations will increase the participants buy-in to the program

Gallery Walks - Get participants actively

involved in synthesizing important concepts, in consensus building, in writing, and in public speaking. In a Gallery Walk, individu-als or groups rotate around the classroom, composing answers to questions as well as reflecting upon the answers given by other groups. Questions are posted on chart paper located in different parts of the activity space. Each piece of chart paper or “sta-tion” has its own question that relates to an important program activity or concept. The technique concludes with an oral discussion where the activity facilitator helps the partici-pants synthesize the gathered information.

Surveys before and after the program offer participants and volunteers the opportunity to provide feedback anonymously.

Pre-and post-surveys – Formal written evaluation process for participants with offers them an opportunity to give program feedback in an anonymous format.

Behavoural contract: “I will...”


13A. Administration

B. Volunteers

C. Youth Mentors

D. Participants – Children and Youth

E. Garden Programs

F. Indoor Activities

G. Cooking Programs

H. Evaluation

Youth Programs are notorious for improving the surroundings, and benefiting more than just those who are in it.

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References & Resources

National Institute of Out-of-School Time (NIOST). [n.d.] Best Practices for After School

Programs: Basic Elements of Quality Programing. Retrieved from: http://www.portlandchildrenslevy.org/rfi_ar-chives/NOIST.Best%20Practices%20for%20After%20School%20Programs.pdf

Alberta Council for Environmental Education (ACEE). [Nov 5, 2012]. Some Emerging ‘Best

Practices’ in Environmental Education [DRAFT]. Retrieved from: http://abcee.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/5-Nov-draft-Some-Emerging-%C5%92Best-Practices%C2%B9-in-Environmental-Education.pdf



Greenest220 Cowan Avenue

Toronto Ontario M6K 2N6

[email protected]

647.438.0038

220 Cowan Avenue Toronto Ontario M6K 2N6

[email protected] 647.438.0038


Greenest

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Productive green space has demonstrated a clear reduction of violence, an increase in aesthetic benefits and an increase to a communities tie to keeping a clean environment.

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At Greenest City we inspire people to build healthy inclusive neighborhoods through education and empowerment to preserve, protect and improve the environment.

HH


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