Poster #230 - Teacher, Therapist, Mentor and More: Staff Roles in Urban Arts-Based Youth Programs

• In Event: 3-003 - Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Section - Social Relationships

Integrative Statement

Previous research demonstrates that afterschool/out-of-school time youth programs can be particularly effective contexts for fostering positive youth development (Durlak, Weissberg, & Pachan, 2010), which are sometimes a product of close relationships that are developed between program staff and youth participants (Walker, 2011). Arts-based youth programs have proliferated in recent years, receiving increased attention from researchers because of the positive outcomes that are associated with racially-diverse, low-income, urban youths’ participation in such programs (Averett, Crowe, & Hall, 2015; Fredricks & Simpkins, 2012). Despite the increased prevalence of urban arts-based programs, there is still a dearth of research regarding the nature of youth participant-staff relationships. While some studies have examined the roles that program staff provide in a range of youth programs (Walker, 2011; Halpern, 2005), few studies have investigated the ways in which their roles change depending on the needs of their youth participants, and how staff navigate these multiple roles. Even fewer studies have examined staff roles in the specific context of arts programs. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews (M = 48 minutes) with staff at five different youth arts programs in the greater Boston area (N = 9). Programs were selected via an online search of programs in the Boston area whose content consisted of art-based activities in the domains of visual, media, and/or performance arts. Interviews included questions about the nature of the arts program, staff roles, staff relationships with youth participants, staff training experiences, and challenges and benefits of working as staff in these programs. Data was analyzed using an inductive thematic analytical approach to explore the roles that program staff take on with their youth in arts-based programs, and the ways in which staff navigate and manage these roles. We present preliminary analyses of the range of roles that program staff play in the lives of their youth participants, and how program staff navigate these often multifaceted and complex roles, particularly when working with diverse youth with marginalized identities. Staff reported a variety of roles including teacher, mentor, therapist, and more. To navigate these roles, staff set boundaries, consulted with peers and supervisors, and used information from their training experiences. This project fills a critical gap in the literature by examining programs that cater to youth with diverse racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. In addition, this study investigated the phenomena of interest from the staff perspective, rather than the youth perspective, as has been done in past research. The findings highlight previously unexplored roles and relationships between staff and youth in urban arts programs and have implications for how specific youth-staff relationships contribute to positive outcomes associated with community arts program participation. Continued research on youth-staff relationships will help inform the development of evidence-based training initiatives for community adults to ensure that youth continue to reap the developmental benefits that such programs afford them.

Authors

• Kirsten M. Christensen, University of Massachusetts Boston
  Presenting Author

• Jean Rhodes, University of Massachusetts Boston
  Non-Presenting Author