Promising Practices
The BEST For Older Youth projects have piloted and experimented with new ways of doing things that may be helpful to others who are doing sectoral and career ladder programs.
These "promising practices" can be a process, an approach, tool, or program design that offers a new perspective on handling day-to-day "real life" challenges and activities. From time to time, we will provide some of these innovative ideas, hoping that they will be useful to our readers.
One challenge faced by youth projects is to keep the youth engaged and participating in the program. Here are a few promising practices and ideas for the retention of youth:
- Youth learn best with a curriculum that integrates basic and occupational skills curriculum.
- Create classroom rules that mimic the personnel policies of companies. Give the youth a copy of your agency's personnel policy to read. It will make the classroom rules less threatening.
- Devote a few minutes at the beginning of each day, to discuss youth problems (and successes). This will give youth a chance to air problems happening outside the classroom and feel supported. They will then be better able to focus on classroom activities.
- Empower youth in the classroom. Give them a voice (not control of!) on how the classroom is conducted, what the classroom rules are, (some) topics for training, etc. Empowered youth are more likely to remain in the program.
- Ask questions that will help the students do forward thinking. For example, in a group exercise, you might ask them to identify the "top ten reasons not to go to work." Planning and goal setting may not be their strength. This is a non-threatening way to encourage forward thinking that will help them create and achieve career goals.
- Create small (3 or 4 students) "success groups" in the classroom. This group of youth is charged with helping each other succeed in the program. Youth can help each other when they are faced with transportation, child care, and other problems. Problems will be solved, and there will be peer bonding, which contributes to youth retention.
- Watch your daily attendance records. Small changes in attendance are an early warning of potential retention problems. If you know early, you may be able to help the youth resolve his/her issues.
- Help your participants learn how to access services on their own. This is a skill that will reduce dependency and empower them to takethe steps needed to succeed.
Do you need more information on the above "promising practices" or have
an idea to share? Contact us.
