scholarly journals Engaging Youth Ages 8 to 12 as Volunteers: An Opportunity for Youth Development?

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlene S. Shannon ◽  
Brenda J. Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Developmental Assets ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Youth Programs ◽  
Atlantic Canada ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Executive Directors ◽  
Boys And Girls Club ◽  
Self Confidence

Many youth programs are delivered to provide opportunities for youth to acquire the assets deemed essential to their development into caring, responsible adults. Engaging as a volunteer is considered an experience that provides access to the acquisition of key developmental assets. To date, research has focused on the positive outcomes that can result for adolescent volunteers with little attention being paid to volunteers younger than age 15. This research explored whether and in what ways being a volunteer contributed to the development of youth ages 8 to 12. Interviews were conducted with 73 Boys and Girls Club youth and seven Club Executive Directors in Atlantic Canada. Results indicated that volunteering offered youth an opportunity to serve their communities, care for its members, and feel valued. Younger youth also developed various skills and experienced enhanced self-esteem and self-confidence.

Urban and Community Fisheries Programs: Development, Management, and Evaluation

2008 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Youth ◽  
Community Centers ◽  
Boys And Girls Club ◽  
Wisconsin Department ◽  
Milwaukee County ◽  
Day Clinic ◽  
Community Fisheries ◽  
Population Center

<em>Abstract.-</em>The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WI DNR) has long had an urban fishing program in Milwaukee County, the state’s largest population center. The program has largely consisted of hosting youth fishing clinics twice a year (winter and spring) on stocked ponds in county parks. The WI DNR launched an internship program to provide fishing coaches at urban community centers in 2005. These positions were designed to provide more frequent fishing opportunities for urban youth than the traditional one-day clinic model. The first intern was stationed at the Urban Ecology Center (UEC) on the banks of the Milwaukee River in a neighborhood known for poverty, drugs, and violence. The partnership between the WI DNR the UEC has been effective at introducing Milwaukee-area youth to overlooked fishing opportunities and nearby water resources. Based on the success of the Milwaukee fishing coach, a second intern was stationed at the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County (BGCDC) in Madison in 2006. Challenging socioeconomic backgrounds limit fishing opportunities for youth served by both the UEC and the BGCDC. This program helps to meet the needs of low-income urban youth by providing supervised fishing opportunities in or near their neighborhood.

Boys' and Girls' Club Work

1915 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 125-129
Author(s):  
O. H. Benson
Keyword(s):  
Boys And Girls Club
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