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Keys to Engaging Specific Youth
Populations
Maranda Collins, Aaron Tucker,
Elizabeth Tharman, Jessie Parker
TASK Eastern Region Board
Objectives
• Establish the importance of diversity in youth
tobacco prevention groups
• Identify groups and sources for youth
recruitment
• Identify strategies for motivating and retaining
specific youth populations
Importance of Diversity in Youth
Tobacco Prevention Groups
Importance of Diversity in Youth
Tobacco Prevention Groups
• If a coalition is supposed to represent a
community, it needs to look like a community.
– In order to maximize the impact of young people
engaged, it is important to ensure that
participants represent the diversity of their
community.
• www.servicelearning.org
Groups and Sources for Specific
Populations Youth Recruitment
• Upward Bound – Program that identifies
promising high school students and assists
them with the transition to college.
• Educational Talent Search – Program that
encourages middle school, high school, and
high school dropouts to continue their
education.
Groups and Sources for Specific
Populations Youth Recruitment
• Upward Bound
– Barton County Community College
245 NE 30th Road
Great Bend, Kansas 67350
(620) 786-1172
colemana@bartonccc.edu
– Cowley County Community College
125 South 2nd
PO Box 1147
Arkansas City, Kansas 67005
(800) 593-2222 ext.5386
shepard@cowley.edu
Groups and Sources for Specific
Populations Youth Recruitment
• Upward Bound
– Emporia State University
1200 Commercial
Campus Box 4001
Emporia, Kansas 66801
(816) 233-4050
benjamit@emporia.edu
– Garden City Community College
801 Campus Drive
Garden City, Kansas 67846
(620) 276-0406
frankey.schmidt@gcccks.edu
Groups and Sources for Specific
Populations Youth Recruitment
• Upward Bound
– Haskell Indian Nations University
155 Indian Avenue
Lawrence, Kansas 66046
(888) 935-3130 (toll free)
hinuubbruce@yahoo.com
– Independence Community College
Brookside Drive & College Avenue
PO Box 708
Independence, Kansas 67301
(800) 842-6063 ext. 5452
drose@indycc.edu
Groups and Sources for Specific
Populations Youth Recruitment
• Upward Bound
– Neosho County Community College
800 West 14th Street
Chanute, Kansas 66720
(620) 431-2820 Ext 504
mncollins@neosho.edu
– University of Kansas
305 JR Pearson Hall
1122 W. Campus Road
Lawrence, Kansas 66045
(785) 864-3415
zslappy@ku.edu
Groups and Sources for Specific
Populations Youth Recruitment
• Upward Bound
– Wichita State University
1845 Fairmount
Campus Box 94
Wichita, Kansas 67260-0094
(316) 978-3019
upward.boundwp@wichita.edu
Groups and Sources for Specific
Populations Youth Recruitment
• Educational Talent Search
– Cowley County Community College
125 South 2nd
PO Box 1147
Arkansas City, Kansas 67005
(800) 593-2222 ext. 5387
otoole@cowley.edu
– Dodge City Community College
2501 North 14th Avenue
Dodge City, Kansas 67801
(800) 367-3222, ext. 406
rganley@dc3.edu
Groups and Sources for Specific
Populations Youth Recruitment
• Educational Talent Search
– Emporia State University
1200 Commercial
Campus Box 4005
Emporia, Kansas 66801
(620) 341-6230
lstephe2@emporia.edu
– Garden City Community College
801 Campus Drive
Garden City, Kansas 67846
(620) 276-9515
Deborah.berkley@gcccks.edu
Groups and Sources for Specific
Populations Youth Recruitment
• Educational Talent Search
– Labette Community College
200 South 14th Street
Parsons, Kansas 67357
(620) 421-4008
– Neosho County Community College
800 West 14th Street
Chanute, Kansas 66720
(620) 431-2820 Ext 271
mmoore@neosho.edu
Groups and Sources for Specific
Populations Youth Recruitment
• Educational Talent Search
– University of Kansas
Gateway Tower II Suite 103
400 State Avenue
Kansas City, Kansas 66101
(913) 342-9823
dukstein@ku.edu
– Wichita State University
1845 Fairmount, Box 96
Wichita, Kansas 67260-0096
115-A South 18th Suite 204
Parsons, KS 67357
(316) 978-3127
Strategies for Motivating and Retaining
Specific Youth Populations
• Programs that are established by adults are
not always appealing to youth. The key to
success is to include youth, giving them the
freedom to express their own concerns and
address their own issues. This will result in
activities and services more appropriate to
their needs.
Things to keep in mind…
• Are there barriers in your community that
prevent youth from becoming involved? How can
they be overcome?
• Can government and community organizations
work together in your area to address the needs
of youth and help them to participate in a
meaningful way?
• How can meetings between adults and youth be
made more appealing to young people?
Tips for Adults Working with Youth
• Don't
– Treat us like children.
– Assume we can’t make good decisions because of our age.
– Stereotype youth.
– Blame all youth for the actions of one individual youth.
– Think we can’t contribute to our community because we
don’t have as much experience as adults.
– Determine your opinions of us by our hairstyle or clothes
we wear.
– Single teens out who belong to minority groups.
• Youth Changing the World
Tips for Adults Working with Youth
• Don't
– Try to cover for us when we mess up.
– Separate us into groups (adult group vs. teen).
– Take over our projects.
– Tell us it can’t be done.
– Tell us what our goals are.
– Try to protect us.
– Don’t do it for us.
– Refer to us as “children”, “youngsters” or “kids”.
• Youth Changing the World
Tips for Adults Working with Youth
• Do
– Talk to us like adults.
– Remember if we are a part of the problem, we must
be part of solution.
– Ask us what we think. Only youth know what other
youth want and need.
– Listen to our ideas and respect our opinions.
– Treat us as equals.
– Just like adults, we learn from our mistakes. Be patient
and help us learn from our mistakes.
• Youth Changing the World
Tips for Adults Working with Youth
• Do
– Involve us in the decision-making that affects our
lives.
– Listen—really listen to us and be willing to learn
from us.
– Provide us with information and training we need
to succeed.
– Schedule to accommodate school hours. Provide
rides to meetings, if necessary.
– Plan meetings so that everyone feels welcome.
Tips for Adults Working with Youth
• Do
– Put us into groups with adults so that we learn to
work together.
– Let us take the lead on our projects. Be there to
support, encourage, and guide.
– Offer your insights and suggestions.
– Hold us accountable to our commitments.
– Be honest with your opinions, it’s OK to disagree.
– Give us the tools we need to do it for ourselves.
– Call us “youth”, “young people”, “young adults”, or
“teens”.
• Youth Changing the World
Tips for Youth Working with Adults
• Do
– Speak up!
– Invite adults to share their skills, experiences, and
resources.
– Commit time and energy to do the work.
– Take responsibility seriously.
– Seek to involve other youth.
Tips for Youth Working with Adults
• Don’t
– Stereotype adults.
– Assume all adults will treat you like “you’re just a
kid.”
Tips to Engage a Diverse Group
of Youth
• Regularly assess strengths and weaknesses in the area of
diversity, and make efforts to improve them by attending
trainings, reading about cultural issues, becoming more
involved in the broader community, etc.
• Ask questions about cultural needs as well as how to help
build or strengthen diversity
• Recognize how bonding with your own group may exclude
or be perceived as excluding others
• Take interest in the ideas of people who don’t think the
same as you, and respect their opinions when you disagree
• Recognize we are products of our backgrounds, but our
way is not the only way
Tips to Engage a Diverse Group
of Youth
• Be aware of prejudices and consciously try to control
assumptions about people
• Try to help others understand your differences
• Work to make sure that people who are different than
you are heard and respected
• Share power and accountability
• Model desired behaviors
• Know your own assets, liabilities, and biases
• Identify and advocate for diversity
– 2000 National Service Leadership Institute training on
Building Cultural Consciousness
Designing Opportunities and Projects
that Appeal to Today’s Youth.
• We are much more globally aware than previous
generations. We are interested in significant volunteer work
that is directly connected to the mission or the cause.
• We like collective action. We enjoy working collaboratively
with all ages, but we also like to be treated as equals in the
group.
• We prefer activities we can get our arms around and be
involved in the entire project. We will bring additional
resources to the project if we feel fully engaged.
• The web offers us an “at your fingertips” reference and
referral service. Programs need to be present on the
Internet to attract and retain today’s youth.
– Merrill Associates
Marketing and Recruiting Strategies
for Youth Volunteers
• Frame opportunities & issues as relevant to youth.
• Promote diversity in all forms. Visuals should reflect
diversity of dress, age, gender, sexual orientation and
ethnic background.
• Offer pertinent experiences & concrete skills. Consider
what we need to include on a college or scholarship
application or employment application.
• Use language like fast, fun, innovative. Speak about an
environment that encourages contributions and
involvement.
– Merrill Associates
Marketing and Recruiting Strategies
for Youth Volunteers
• Have visuals that attract youth.
• Invite input in the development of the project
– advisory groups.
• Provide leadership roles - team & project
leaders.
• Have competitions/games.
• Feature pictures of young people.
– Merrill Associates
Management Strategies for Youth
Volunteers
• Accommodate different levels of knowledge and
sophistication – have instruction, models or
mentors when needed.
• Include us on orientation and training team. Give
them a role in both developing and presenting
orientation and training. Encourage them to
share their examples and perspectives.
• Develop work teams.
• Place us with adults who respect, facilitate,
encourage and model.
– Merrill Associates
Management Strategies for Youth
Volunteers
• Train youth team leaders.
• Respect our ideas, suggestions and advice. Do more than
listen, find ways to implement and support their ideas and
approaches.
• Create an environment that encourages us to be fully
engaged in the mission of the program.
• Create an overall supportive and inviting organization.
• If you value our contributions, it will be reflected in the
work you assign us, the ways you communicate with us and
the expectation you have for us. We will know if you are
saying one thing and doing something else and nothing
turns us off more than hypocrisy and incongruence.
– Merrill Associates
Recognition Strategies for Youth
Volunteers
• A little pizza never hurts!
• Immediate. We tend to be impatient. Don’t wait for an annual recognition
event. Give recognition frequently and consistently.
• Be personal – recognize our individual achievements and contributions.
Be certain they receive individualized recognition.
• Recognition is a perfect place to interject some fun. Volunteering doesn’t
have to always be serious work. Find innovative fun ways to say thank you
and lighten up the environment.
• Send letters to parents and schools.
• Provide letters of documentation for us so we can include them with
scholarship and college applications.
• Send articles for school papers or to company newsletters where parents
work.
• Nominate for community and civic awards.
– Merrill Associates
Good Luck!
