Presentation Title
The Influence of a Youth-Advisory Board on the Empowerment of Adolescents
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation/Art Exihibt
College
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Major
Psychology
Location
Event Center BC
Faculty Mentor
Dr. David Chavez
Start Date
5-18-2017 11:00 AM
End Date
5-18-2017 12:00 PM
Abstract
The study examined the effectiveness of the Teen Advisory Board implemented on children and teens at the Boys and Girls Club of Waterman Gardens. The Boys and Girls Club of Waterman Gardens is a community program that provides support for marginalized, low income families. The Teen Advisory Board is a program that involves the youth members of the Boys and Girls Club, specifically where teen members are offered leadership opportunities where they advise the younger group members in homework, physical exercise activities, and peer support. While youth advising programs involving adult mentors have been successfully studied in the past, fewer have studied the benefits of cross-age mentorship among at-risk communities. The study examined whether the Teen Advisory Board had an impact on the mentors’ psychological empowerment, through giving teens a leadership role within their community. The members of the study consisted of 20 boys and girls (ages ranging from 6-17) from the Boys and Girls Club of Waterman Gardens. The mentors were selected based on age and availability (14-17), incorporating 12 mentees and 8 teen mentors. A 3 month trial of the Teen Advisory Board was implemented through allowing the teen members to help the younger members with homework and guidance through physical activity in the attempt to improve the teen’s mentors’ feelings of perceived control within their community. To measure the success of the program, a pre-test/post-test survey was given to the teen mentors in order to properly measure feelings of psychological empowerment, pro-social behavior and socio-political control. We hypothesized that the Teen Advisory Board will increase the older groups’ (mentors) level of psychological empowerment, prosocial behaviors, and socio-political control. The results imply that the Teen Advisory Board was successful in improving psychological empowerment and pro-social behavior among the teen members. The outcomes suggest the importance of providing peer support on the perceived level of control within one’s community, and can be further implemented in Boys and Girls club settings, nationally.
The Influence of a Youth-Advisory Board on the Empowerment of Adolescents
Event Center BC
The study examined the effectiveness of the Teen Advisory Board implemented on children and teens at the Boys and Girls Club of Waterman Gardens. The Boys and Girls Club of Waterman Gardens is a community program that provides support for marginalized, low income families. The Teen Advisory Board is a program that involves the youth members of the Boys and Girls Club, specifically where teen members are offered leadership opportunities where they advise the younger group members in homework, physical exercise activities, and peer support. While youth advising programs involving adult mentors have been successfully studied in the past, fewer have studied the benefits of cross-age mentorship among at-risk communities. The study examined whether the Teen Advisory Board had an impact on the mentors’ psychological empowerment, through giving teens a leadership role within their community. The members of the study consisted of 20 boys and girls (ages ranging from 6-17) from the Boys and Girls Club of Waterman Gardens. The mentors were selected based on age and availability (14-17), incorporating 12 mentees and 8 teen mentors. A 3 month trial of the Teen Advisory Board was implemented through allowing the teen members to help the younger members with homework and guidance through physical activity in the attempt to improve the teen’s mentors’ feelings of perceived control within their community. To measure the success of the program, a pre-test/post-test survey was given to the teen mentors in order to properly measure feelings of psychological empowerment, pro-social behavior and socio-political control. We hypothesized that the Teen Advisory Board will increase the older groups’ (mentors) level of psychological empowerment, prosocial behaviors, and socio-political control. The results imply that the Teen Advisory Board was successful in improving psychological empowerment and pro-social behavior among the teen members. The outcomes suggest the importance of providing peer support on the perceived level of control within one’s community, and can be further implemented in Boys and Girls club settings, nationally.
