Pitfalls and promising practices of youth-adult partnerships: An evaluator's reflections

Youth–adult partnerships (Y‐APs) are an innovation being used increasingly as a key strategy for promoting youth development, as well as for building strong programs and communities. This article discusses three pitfalls that can undermine their effectiveness: (1) the assumption that youth should do...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of community psychology 2005-01, Vol.33 (1), p.75-85
Main Author: Camino, Linda
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Child development
Community development
Community Programs
Evaluation
Evaluators
Innovation
Interviews
Mentors
Reflection
Social services
Youth
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Summary:Youth–adult partnerships (Y‐APs) are an innovation being used increasingly as a key strategy for promoting youth development, as well as for building strong programs and communities. This article discusses three pitfalls that can undermine their effectiveness: (1) the assumption that youth should do everything of importance; (2) the belief that adults should “get out of the way,” and give up power, and (3) the focus on youth as the marked category. The article also describes three promising practices to overcome pitfalls: (1) integrate reflection into meetings; (2) articulate the logic of programs and Y‐APs; and (3) engage a third party to help explore group assumptions and values. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 33: 75–85, 2005.
ISSN:0090-4392
1520-6629
DOI:10.1002/jcop.20043