Contact Person: Regeanna Mwansa
Youth Development Coordinator
Arizona Department of Economic Security
1789 West Jefferson
Site Code 940A
Phoenix, AZ 85007
(602) 542-2287
Fax: (602) 542-3330
E-mail: regeanna.mwansa@mail.de.state.az.us

Project Goals

The Arizona Youth Development Initiative will focus on promoting a comprehensive and holistic youth development approach to facilitate sustained changes at both the State and community levels in the provision of services and opportunities to Arizona's young people. It is anticipated that this shift in philosophy will have a positive impact on both the quality of services delivered to young people and on the professionals who work with youth policy and services.

The project team will examine and promote the development of an integrated funding stream and policy for providing prevention and early intervention services to young people. The initiative also will provide funding opportunities designed to strengthen connections between youth and communities, offer training and technical assistance to those involved in youth policy and services at the State and community levels, and facilitate information dissemination and exchange.

Implementing Organization

The Arizona Department of Economic Security will serve as the lead State agency for the initiative. The department provides care to children who are victims of abuse or neglect, have developmental disabilities, are involved in the foster care system, or have been adjudicated dependent by the juvenile courts and committed to the care and custody of the department. It also administers family support, adult protective service, child support enforcement, child care, and training and employment programs. As the State's largest human service agency, the Arizona Department of Economic Security is a focal point for the efforts of State agencies, legislators, and community agencies to better serve children, youth, and families, and the agency has played a major role in policy development.

The Department of Economic Security previously has piloted strategies for involving young people in program planning and policy development. The agency's Young Adult Program, for example, which is responsible for assisting youth in foster care in moving to independent living, developed six Youth Advisory Boards (one per Department of Economic Security District) comprising young people. These boards meet monthly to discuss issues of concern, with meetings facilitated by the agency's Young Adult Program staff. The boards provide input on sound policy development related to foster care and independent living, assisted in the development of a statewide peer mentoring program for adolescents entering foster care, address issues involved in recruiting foster homes, and provide recommendations to District Program Managers regarding foster care services. Board members also participate in a Department of Economic Security150sponsored annual statewide youth conference.

Project Objectives and Activities

The initiative will use a range of vehicles to promote the integration of a youth development approach into the operation of State and community youth-serving systems. The initiative's objectives and activities include the following:

Establish a Youth Development Policy Task Force comprising youth and adult members: The Task Force will provide policy and program oversight to the project and develop a comprehensive plan for enhancing youth development opportunities. The Task Force will establish subcommittees and meet monthly for the first 6 months and quarterly thereafter. A three-person project team will be responsible for the project's implementation.
The Task Force initially will be made up of approximately 25 members, and eventually will expand to 4515050 members. Adult members will include representatives of youth-related State agencies and community-based youth service agencies and business and community leaders. Youth membership will comprise representatives of the Young Adult Program's Youth Advisory Boards, youth councils such as the Phoenix Youth Commission, and one representative from each of the Youth Development Councils to be created through this initiative (described below).

Establish local Youth Development Councils, made up of 75 percent youth and 25 percent adult members: Under the project, Youth Development Councils will be the vehicle for identifying the gaps and needs in current youth-serving systems, initiating youth development opportunities at the community level, and building coalitions to increase grassroots awareness and support for youth development programming.
To provide startup funds for these councils, in each of the 5 years, five $10,000 minigrants will be provided to community agencies and coalitions through a Request for Proposal process. The minigrants are intended as "seed" funding that communities then can use to leverage ongoing support from local businesses, civic groups, foundations, and other organizations. Priority will be given to communities where youth development opportunities are limited. In addition, communities choosing to form a Youth Development Council will receive training and technical assistance from the Youth Development Policy Task Force and project staff to address startup and implementation issues.

Conduct a survey of Arizona communities on youth development needs, strategies, and resources: A needs assessment will be conducted to assist the Youth Development Councils in their planning and provide necessary data to the Youth Development Policy Task Force on designing a youth development policy that could be implemented statewide. Needs assessment data to be collected include information on youth attitudes, existing community services and opportunities for young people, and resources available to address gaps in services. The Task Force will develop a framework for the survey, and Youth Development Councils that agree to do so will carry out the survey, with training and technical assistance provided by the Task Force and project team.
Assist Youth Development Councils in sponsoring regional Youth "Town Halls," or forums for young people to express their views: Town halls have been an effective tool for identifying young people's needs and key issues that they are facing, raising public awareness, and designing policies regarding other issues; several communities, such as Scottsdale and Phoenix, previously have sponsored successful town halls involving young people.

The Youth Development Policy Task Force will provide assistance, beginning in year 2, to three Youth Development Councils that choose to sponsor regional Youth Town Halls, with preference given to councils located in areas with limited youth development opportunities. Each year thereafter, the Task Force will provide assistance to an additional three councils in conducting Youth Town Halls.

Provide training on youth development: The project will provide training to Youth Development Council members; Task Force members; and other individuals, such as community leaders, State agency staff, and youth service providers, using the Child Welfare League of America's Youth Development Curriculum.

Make recommendations on the development of a State-level organizational infrastructure to support the provision of youth development opportunities and services to young people: Such an infrastructure is needed to coordinate youth services and youth development initiatives, provide information exchange and dissemination functions related to youth development, and promote linkages between communities and State and Federal agencies concerned with youth. Developing recommendations on the creation of such an organizational framework, therefore, will be a major focus of the Task Force.

Develop a clearinghouse on youth development that will facilitate information exchange on youth development strategies and offer information on existing programs and activities that promote youth development: The project will promote the creation of a clearinghouse on youth development that can improve communication and coordination among communities, agencies, and youth and aid in the implementation of a statewide youth development initiative. This office would provide a focal point for efforts to promote youth development approaches at the State level and be responsible for planning, disseminating information on, and coordinating State youth development initiatives. The clearinghouse also would maintain a home page on the Internet's World Wide Web to promote information sharing and linkages.

Project Evaluation

Assessing the initiative's outcomes is a key component of the overall project plan. At this initial stage, the following are the elements of the project's evaluation component:

Develop an evaluation plan for the initiative, including instruments to be used, questionnaires, and a timetable. The project team will obtain input on the evaluation design from the Arizona Department of Economic Security Office of Evaluation, members of the Task Force, and outside experts, as necessary.

Document the process used to establish the Youth Development Policy Task Force, the Youth Development Councils, and the Youth Town Halls.
Use the 5-year workplan and timeline developed during the initiative's planning stage to monitor project progress and timelines. Summarize tasks and activities completed and any changes needed to the projected schedule through quarterly status reports.

Administer yearly surveys to Task Force members, Youth Development Council members, and Youth Town Hall participants to assess changes in levels of knowledge regarding youth development, attitudes about youth development policy and programming, and skills in implementing youth development programs.

Track the number of visitors to the youth development clearinghouse home page on a monthly basis; assess users' satisfaction and collect suggested improvements through an on-line questionnaire.

Prepare an annual evaluation report for the Youth Development Policy Task Force, State agency directors, the Governor's Office, and the Family and Youth Services Bureau regarding tasks and activities that were completed within target dates and changes in target dates, including reasons for changes.