Youth Advancement Through Athletics: An Evaluation of a Community-Based Program for Students Attending a Court-Run High School

• In Event: Posters II

Abstract

In 2010, 1.4 million delinquency cases were processes by juvenile courts in the United States; however, only one-quarter of all detained youth were placed in secure detention centers. Thus, there is a need for effective programs that serve juvenile offenders who remain in the community. Specifically, the juvenile justice system is lacking interventions which effectively serve youth who are of the greatest risk for reoffending. This study contributes to the literature by evaluating a community-developed program for court-involved youth. Youth Advancement Through Athletics (YATA) is a multi-faceted youth development program which incorporates athletics, mentorships, career preparation, and community outreach into its strength-based, six-month intervention design. The current research employs a time-series design to assess the ways in which risk scores of 50 participating youth change over time. The project is execute using Mason and colleagues four-phase framework for effective program evaluation. The four phases involve: 1) reviewing existing implementation and effectiveness evidence, 2) the execution of an incrementally rigorous evaluation, 3) consideration of intervention improvements, and 4) expansion of intervention dissemination. Additionally, plans for future evaluation strategies are discussed.

Authors

• Marva Vernelle Goodson, Michigan State University

• Kayla Hoskins, Michigan State University

• Erica Dalzell, Michigan State University