Resource Guide

Programs emphasize positive adult-youth relationships regardless of the curriculum.

Establishing supportive relationships between youth and adults may be the most critical component of a quality after-school program. Not only are supportive relationships themselves correlated with better outcomes for youth, the existence of supportive relationships in programs is key to attracting and retaining youth in programs, itself vital to better outcomes for youth.

Supportive relationships are those that include qualities of emotional support (e.g., being caring and responsive) and instrumental support (e.g., providing guidance that is useful to young people). It is these relationships with both adults and peers that provide the emotional support and guidance that gives young people the capacity to feel connected to others, navigate day-to-day life and engage in productive activities.

Research has shown that youth who have at least one highly supportive relationship with an adult will do better than youth who have none. While having more than one supportive relationship may hold additional benefits, the greatest difference in later success for youth is having at least one such relationship. Establishing or maintaining supportive relationships is particularly important for preteens, who are at a stage when they are moving toward greater independence and growing autonomy from their families.

• The program teaches young people the skills they need to build healthy relationships with peers and adults, such as active listening, expressing needs, conflict resolution and cooperation skills.
• The program schedule provides young people with opportunities for positive, informal social interactions with adults and peers.
• Staff hiring reflects a priority of developing a diverse staff with whom youth can identify in terms of gender, culture, sexual orientation and language.
• Program allows time for the staff to work one-on-one with the youth.
• The program maintains a low ratio of adults to youth.
• The staff treat participants with respect, listen to what they say and respond to youth in a warm, supportive manner.

Beyond Safe Havens: A Synthesis of 20 Years of Research on the Boys & Girls Clubs (2005)
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/187_publication.pdf
Arbreton et al reviewed 20 years of research of Boys & Girls Clubs of America programming. The report outlines the strategies that programs have implemented to contribute toward success as well as the challenges that were encountered. The review of Boys & Girls Clubs of America programs identified several strategies to hire and retain high-quality staff, including: recruiting staff skilled for specific programs, promoting personnel from within the agency, ensuring the buy-in of staff to any new programming and providing sufficient staff training.
Author/Publisher: Arbreton, Amy J.A., Jessica Sheldon and Carla Herrera. Philadelphia: Public Private Ventures.

Finding Out What Matters for Youth: Testing Key Links in a Community Action Framework for Youth Development (2002)
http://www.ydsi.org/YDSI/pdf/WhatMatters.pdf
The Community Action Framework for Youth Development was developed to describe the pathways that lead youth to positive outcomes and highlight what needs the most attention. It looks at whether and how developmental outcomes (learning to be productive, learning to connect, and learning to navigate) affect early adult outcomes (economic self-sufficiency, healthy family and social relationships, and community involvement). Gambone et al found that youth who had at least one highly supportive relationship with an adult did better than youth who had none.
Author/Publisher: Gambone, M.A, A.M. Klem and J.P. Connell

Community Programs to Promote Youth Development (2002)
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10022.html
This book focuses on community programs for youth and examines what is known about their design, implementation, and evaluation. The book identifies the set of personal and social assets that increase the healthy development and well-being of adolescents. It then discusses the settings that promote healthy development of those assets. The book defines supportive relationships as those that include qualities of emotional support (e.g., being caring and responsive) and instrumental support (e.g., providing guidance that is useful to young people). It discusses both what a supportive relationship is and some practices to develop supportive relationships. Author/Publisher: National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. Committee on Community-Level Programs for Youth. Jacquelynne Eccles and Jennifer A. Gootman, eds. Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.