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Read the report cited in this article!

Moving Beyond the Barriers: Attracting and Sustaining Youth Participation in OST Programs offers a set of promising strategies to attract and sustain youth participation in the programs.

 

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As part of a special series from the Youth Development Institute, this article on the Connect for Kids website focuses on recruiting and enrolling young people in quality out-of-school programs. The article looks at how Cypress Hills-East New York, a Beacon Center located in Brooklyn, developed a strategy for recruiting and enrolling youth ages 9 to 14 for its school-year program.

Citing research from Harvard Family Research Project about attracting and sustaining youth participation in out-of-school time programs, the article details Cypress's recruitment plan and its results and offers a key recommendations for other programs seeking to build community awareness and increase youth participation.

Excerpt from the article:
"The Harvard Family Research Project is a great site to get some of the latest research on effective middle school recruitment practice. Here are some things to consider from the article Moving Beyond the Barriers: Attracting and Sustaining Youth Participation in OST Programs:

• Programs need to help you understand the value of participation and that frequent participation leads to a “brighter future."
• Show families the opportunities associated with participation: in several evaluations of elementary and middle school programs, children and youth indicated that they attend an after-school program because their parents want them to attend. If parents know that their kids are safe, able to do their homework and have fun activities they are likely to encourage their children to attend.
• Reach out directly to youth and their families. Phone calls and home visits are effective means of recruitment."

Read the full article on www.connectforkids.org, the Connect for Kids website.