Youth Empowerment Solutions for Positive Futures: A Pilot Study

Background: Despite recent improvements in national high school graduation rates, low-income youth are up to 4 times more likely than their high-income counterparts to drop out of high school. Youth who dropout out of high school are at increased risk for alcohol and drug (AOD) misuse. Future orientation, an individual’s thoughts and feelings of the future, is linked to less drug use, delinquency, and violence during adolescence.

Intervention: Youth Empowerment Solutions for Positive Futures (YES-PF) is a 5-week, intensive-format, summer enrichment program that uses a future-oriented, empowerment-based approach to reduce AOD use and school dropout among youth who display early warning signs of school disengagement. An adaptation of Youth Empowerment Solutions (YES; Zimmerman), YES-PF addressed school disengagement and AOD misuse by promoting school relationships, engagement, and future orientation. The program included 6 units: 1) Youth as Leaders; 2) Learning about our School Community; 3) Improving our School; 4) Building Partnerships; 5) Planning for Change; and 6) Action and Reflection; and culminated with a student-led school change project.

Sample: YES-PF was pilot tested in 2 middle schools during summer 2017. Both schools have high rates of chronic absenteeism (a risk factor for high school dropout) and students eligible for free/reduced price lunch (an indicator of low economic status). Grade 7 students were recruited based on the presence of early warning signs for school disengagement.

Method: The pilot study evaluation was designed to assess the feasibility of implementing YES-PF. We gathered information about program acceptability from students and program facilitators; assessed program attendance; collected recommendations for program modification; and evaluated short-term program impact on relevant indicators. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed with descriptive statistics. Paired t-tests measured change in psychological empowerment, future orientation, and school and AOD outcomes.

Findings: YES-PF student participants (n=44) reported increased leadership efficacy, sense of control, and responsible decision-making post-intervention. Student participants also reported increased knowledge about AOD use as a risk to future goals, and more school and academic engagement, although marginally significant (p<0.10). 50% of students attended every day; 36% of students missed 1-2 days. Majority of student participants said they would recommend the program to their peers. Feedback from program facilitators (n = 6) mainly concerned adjusting time given for the activities.

Conclusion/Implications: Our pilot study demonstrated that YES-PF delivered as a summer school enrichment program was feasible and acceptable to school personnel and students.