Assessing the Value of Youth Development United
Youth Development United (YDU) is delighted to announce the results of its 2022-23 program survey.
The survey is intended to measure emotional, social, and behavioral impact on participants and capture other learnings about the value of Youth Development United activities. This is just one of many methods the organization uses to collect feedback and refine its strategy for serving the community.
Fifty-four percent of survey respondents attended at least one YDU event each month. Another fifteen percent attended more than five over the course of the year.
77 percent agreed with the statements “My children talk excitedly about an event that is coming up.” and “After an event, my family talks about the experience they had.” These sentiments reflect a positive impact that YDU has had on the mental health of participants.
62 percent agreed with the statement “We have enjoyed meeting new people there.” This speaks to the increased opportunities for socialization through participation in YDU. Chapters Health System recently reported, “Increasing social interaction can decrease feelings of loneliness and depression, according to a study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.”
77 percent agreed “YDU events play an important role in helping my children learn and experience healthy choices.”
62 percent agreed “Our family has more ‘quality time’ together at YDU events than in many other settings.”
We asked parents to assess the development that their children have gained from participating in YDU activities:
92% noted increased social skills (patience, sharing, positively interacting with others)
92% noted increased emotional skills (caring about others, being happy for others' successes, expressing self calmly)
54% noted improved behavior and self-control
69% witnessed their child/ren trying and enjoying healthy foods
Here are some comments received from families who participated in the survey:
“With the prices of simply living right now it is so difficult to get out together as a family for fun, this has really been a blessing for not only us but all the families in program!”
“I really enjoy these offerings because they are opportunities to introduce my children to new things without the financial investment.”
“They got to see friends from school and the food was really good.”
“We attend all we can and are so grateful for this program and all the events hosted!”
“My family looks forward to the events.”
Chalkbeat recently reported that post-lockdown, “Some teachers say they’re struggling with more student misbehavior and classroom disruptions.” Local teachers have shared this anecdotally and implied that the problem is significant in their schools. YDU is proud to do its part to help students develop the necessary skills to be productive participants in classrooms and society at large.
To help YDU continue its work through donations of time and other resources, please visit https://www.youthdevunited.org/donate