NCJ Number
192722
Date Published
December 2001
Length
58 pages
Annotation
The "Empowering Young People in Rural Suffolk" project, one of a group of local initiatives funded by the British Home Office Programme Development Unit, targeted youth aged 13 to 20 living in rural Suffolk and aimed to improve their access to local services, increase their involvement in civic life and decision-making, and reduce antisocial behavior.
Abstract
The project initially covered three areas (called patches). Patch one was to operate for 2 years and patches two and three for 3 years. During the first year of the project there were innumerable personnel difficulties in patch three that resulted in both project workers leaving the program, one due to ill-health. It was decided that this patch should be dropped from the project, because policymakers believed it would be too difficult to find replacement personnel. The funding from this patch was transferred to patch one, enabling it to operate for 3 years and thus finish at the same time as patch two. The evaluation methodology was qualitative, incorporating semi-structured interviews, case studies, and non-participant observation. Over the 3 years of the project, 64 interviews were conducted with 94 respondents, of whom 41 were adults and 53 were juveniles. Six case studies of youth were also undertaken. Twelve interventions were observed. The two patches were developed differently. One had a mobile van that traveled to villages and successfully attracted youth to its services. In the other patch, project workers had no base from which to work and no meeting place protected from the weather. The project involved approximately 200 youth over 3 years, and most of the youth interviewed felt they had been empowered. In several areas, youth worked for the benefit of others and in fundraising for the wider community. One formally constituted Youth Forum was formed, and three youth clubs had youth representation on their management committees. The mobile van was very successful. This report noted that if youth participation in the program was voluntary, i.e., no mandatory referrals to the project, then it was unlikely that the youth with problem behaviors would participate. The report advised that rural community projects must involve local adult decision-makers, because they are such an integral part of village life. Six case studies help to demonstrate the impact of the project. 10 appendixes with supplementary information and activity descriptions and 6 references