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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 464 171 UD 034 942 TITLE Youth Engaged in Leadership & Learning Project, Redwood City. Report on Findings and Recommendations from the Pilot Project Formerly Known as the "Youth Mapping Project," November 2000-June 2001. INSTITUTION Stanford Univ., CA. John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities. PUB DATE 2001-00-00 NOTE 29p.; Also prepared by The Kennedy Youth Mapping Team. Photographic images may not reproduce clearly. AVAILABLE FROM For full text: http://gardnercenter.stanford.edu/. PUB TYPE Reports Evaluative (142) Tests/Questionnaires (160) EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Community Needs; Community Programs; High School Students; High Schools; Leadership Training; Middle School Students; Student Attitudes; Student Participation; Urban Areas; Youth Leaders; *Youth Programs IDENTIFIERS *California (Redwood City) ABSTRACT This report summarizes preliminary findings from the Youth Engaged in Leadership and Learning project in Redwood City, California, which prepared and supported youth in becoming knowledgeable and active decision-makers in their schools and communities, and played a key role in developing youths' leadership skills and encouraging civic engagement in Redwood City. From November 2000 through June 2001, a cadre of 14 eighth-graders and 4 ninth-graders received comprehensive training in such areas as community assessment design, data collection and analysis, and advocacy skills. They focused on how to make the community better for youth by gathering information (via interviews, observations, and surveys) on their peers' needs, strengths, and activities. Overall, middle-schoolers liked their home life, neighborhoods, and schools. Most reported no gangs in the area. Only 30 percent found anything amusing in their neighborhoods for kids. High school students spent most of their after-school time with homework, sports, friends, and the television or computer. They felt welcome mainly everywhere. Most would seek help from a center for support. Recommendations included encouraging a friendlier climate, providing activities and places for youth, and improving transportation. Four appendices contain the Redwood City neighborhood map, interview protocols, youth surveys, and compiled results by neighborhoods. (Contains 18 charts and graphs.) (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.
Transcript
Page 1: Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be ... · Rick Lopez Jessica Mendieta. Marcella Padilla. Aldo Sepülveda Rafael Urbina. John Venable John Wuydts. Youth Mapping

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 464 171 UD 034 942

TITLE Youth Engaged in Leadership & Learning Project, RedwoodCity. Report on Findings and Recommendations from the PilotProject Formerly Known as the "Youth Mapping Project,"November 2000-June 2001.

INSTITUTION Stanford Univ., CA. John W. Gardner Center for Youth andTheir Communities.

PUB DATE 2001-00-00NOTE 29p.; Also prepared by The Kennedy Youth Mapping Team.

Photographic images may not reproduce clearly.AVAILABLE FROM For full text: http://gardnercenter.stanford.edu/.PUB TYPE Reports Evaluative (142) Tests/Questionnaires (160)EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Community Needs; Community Programs; High School Students;

High Schools; Leadership Training; Middle School Students;Student Attitudes; Student Participation; Urban Areas; YouthLeaders; *Youth Programs

IDENTIFIERS *California (Redwood City)

ABSTRACTThis report summarizes preliminary findings from the Youth

Engaged in Leadership and Learning project in Redwood City, California, whichprepared and supported youth in becoming knowledgeable and activedecision-makers in their schools and communities, and played a key role indeveloping youths' leadership skills and encouraging civic engagement inRedwood City. From November 2000 through June 2001, a cadre of 14eighth-graders and 4 ninth-graders received comprehensive training in suchareas as community assessment design, data collection and analysis, andadvocacy skills. They focused on how to make the community better for youthby gathering information (via interviews, observations, and surveys) on theirpeers' needs, strengths, and activities. Overall, middle-schoolers likedtheir home life, neighborhoods, and schools. Most reported no gangs in thearea. Only 30 percent found anything amusing in their neighborhoods for kids.High school students spent most of their after-school time with homework,sports, friends, and the television or computer. They felt welcome mainlyeverywhere. Most would seek help from a center for support. Recommendationsincluded encouraging a friendlier climate, providing activities and placesfor youth, and improving transportation. Four appendices contain the RedwoodCity neighborhood map, interview protocols, youth surveys, and compiledresults by neighborhoods. (Contains 18 charts and graphs.) (SM)

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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(.1

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3EST COPY AVAILABLE

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Youth Engaged inLeadership Sc Learning

ProjectRedwood City

Report on Findings and Recommendationsfrom the pilot project formerly known as the

"Youth Mapping Project"

November 2000-June 2001

r+,

Prepared By:

The Kennedy Youth Mapping Teamand theThe John W. Gardner Center forYouth and Their Communities

U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice or Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

iThis document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organizationoriginating it

0 Minor changes have been made toimprove reproduction quality

Points of view or opinions stated in thisdocument do not necessarily representofficial OERI position or policy

IM1

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Contents

II.

IV.

Introduction 3

Who Are We/ 4

Research Goals and Methods 5

Background Data from Youth SurveysMiddle School 6High School 7

V. Preliminary Findings From Interviews and SurveysMiddle School 8High School 14

VI. Youth Recommendations 16

VII. Next Steps 18

VIII. Conclusion 19

IX. Appendices 20

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I. Introduction

The main goal of the Youth Engaged in Leadership and Learning (Y.E.L.L.) Project (formerly known asthe Youth Mapping Project) is to prepare and support youth in becoming knowledgeable and activedecision-makers in their school and community. Based on the premise that youth have important insightsinto school and community improvement, the Y.E.L.L. Project guides youth through a training processthat provides them with key skills and tools that support them in collecting and sharing relevant data.Through this youth-driven process, youth obtain important information to share and use with adultpartners at the decision-making table.

The John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University began workingclosely with the Redwood City 2020 collaborative in the fall of 2000 to adopt community youth researchas a way to gather data on the status of youth from a "youth's eye" view for the Kermedy Middle SchoolHealthy Start planning process. This pilot "Youth Mapping Project" in Redwood City was molded to fitthe needs of the Kennedy Healthy Start Planning Committee, while at the same time recognizing thepotential for making community youth research an ongoing renewable resource for the Healthy Start siteand the community in future years. While other assessment efforts begin their process by working withyouth to conduct door-to-door interviews in the community to identify youth resources, the planninggroup decided to focus on youth's perspectives about needs and resources in the community to begin theircommunity assessment process.

Project OverviewThe pilot Y.E.L.L. Project also aimed to play a key role in developing youth's leadership skills andencouraging youth civic engagement in Redwood City. On November 30, 2000 an initial cadre of 14Kennedy 8th grade students and 4 former Kennedy students (now Woodside High School 9th gradestudents) began participating in Redwood City's first pilot team. As community youth researchers,(formerly "youth mappers"), these students joined the Redwood City Healthy Start collaborative inlearning about the needs and experiences of their peers by launching a youth community assessmentprocess to apply for the Healthy Start grant and prepare services for a new family resource center atKennedy Middle School if funding was awarded.

From November 2000 through June 2001, this group of community youth researchers receivedcomprehensive training in areas such as community assessment design, research skills (data collectionand analysis), and advocacy skills. During the course of six months, the youth decided to address thequestion "How do we make our community better for youth?" by gathering information on the needs,strengths, and activities of their peers. They did this by interviewing other youth, developing youthsurveys, and observing activities in their neighborhood. They then shared these findings with variousmembers of the community and plan to work together with adults to build on the school and communitystrengths they identified.

The following report summarizes the team's preliminary findings and recommendations developed duringthe pilot year of the project. The data, findings, and recommendations in this report are based on the workthat the 15 community youth researchers actually presented and shared with various decision-makingbodies in Redwood City.

We are excited to share this report with you as an introduction to the community youth research processin Redwood City during its pilot year. We also look forward to sharing this report as an initial point ofreference for future dialogue about potential uses of this process in promoting youth involvement inRedwood City at all levels. If you would like additional information about the Y.E.L.L. Project, pleasecontact:

Maria A. Fernández, Ed.M. Tel: (650) 736-2015 Fax:(650) 736-2296 [email protected] Galvez Mall CERAS Building, Room 402Stanford, CA 94305-3084

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Who Are We?

We are 15 community youth researchers (13 Kennedy Middle School and 2 Woodside High Schoolstudents) who are interested in making their community a better place.

We have been working since November to see what Kennedy and Woodside High School students see asresources and what is needed for youth in Redwood City.

Community Youth Researchers

Anahi Aguilar

April Anderson, (high school student)

Jason Buenrostro

Jackie Flowers

Andres Garcia

Paula Garcia

Nicki Hech ler, (high school student)

Yarelly Hernández

Rick Lopez

Jessica Mendieta

Marcella Padilla

Aldo Sepülveda

Rafael Urbina

John Venable

John Wuydts

Youth Mapping Project Support:Maria A. Fernández, Director, Y.E.L.L. Project

Leah Sullivan and José Saldivar, Undergraduate Student AssistantsKaren Strobel, Graduate StudentBen Kirshner, Graduate Student

Meredith Honig, Graduate StudentDavid Sears, Graduate Student

Milbrey McLaughlin, Executive Director, John Gardner Center

*Neighborhood names cited in this report were obtained from those listed in the City of Redwood CityNeighborhood Association Map (see Appendix A: Redwood City Neighborhood Map). New categorieswere developed for areas with high concentrations of respondents between neighborhoods.

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Research Goals and Methods

After spending some time getting to know each other and sharing experienceson our neighborhood, we decided as a group that our goals would be:

To find out what youth think, know, and want for our communityTo make our community a safe and fun environment for youth

To meet these goals, we decided to use the research methods below:

Youth InterviewsThe community youth researchers developed a set of interview questions to find out more about youth inthe community. These questions asked youth about school, home, and their neighborhood (see AppendixB: Interview Protocols). The interviews also gave us a base to develop our survey. 70 middle school and8 high school students were interviewed.

Youth SurveyAfter learning about different survey formats, we developed a survey to find out what youth thoughtabout their neighborhood, school, and home and what they wanted for the community (see Appendix C:Youth Mapping Surveys). These surveys were distributed at Kennedy Middle School and WoodsideHigh School. 1035 middle school surveys were distributed and 843 were completed. 105 of theapproximately 120 high school surveys were returned.

Community Collages and ReflectionsDuring the month of December, 15 of us took pictures of the different neighborhoods in Redwood City,what we thought it was like, and what we needed. These collages were then shared with other youth andhelped the group think about the strengths and needs of the different neighborhoods.

Community ObservationsPart of our community youth research also included going around the neighborhood and finding out whatresources were available in the community for youth. More photographs of the community were alsotaken here and organized into posters.

Video Profile of 5 NeighborhoodsA subgroup of the community youth researchers developed an 8-minute video entitled "OurNeighborhoods: Youth Tell the Truth" in which 5 neighborhoods in Redwood City were profiled to showwhat was good, bad, and what needed to be different. These neighborhoods were North Fair Oaks,Friendly Acres, Redwood Oaks, East Bayshore, and Woodside Plaza. A copy of the video can beobtained through the Gardner Center.

Although all these methods were used by the team, this report will focus mainly on data gathered fromyouth interviews and surveys.

(front to back): Community Youth ResearchersJessica Mendieta, Marcella Padilla,and Paula Garcia review transcriptsof interviews they conducted withtheir peers.

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IV. Background Data From Youth Surveys

Middle SchoolTotal Surveys: 843Average Age: 12.46 years (range 10-15 years)Average Number of Siblings: 2.38 (range 0-11)Average Length of Residency in Redwood City: 9.30 years (range 0.03-14.5 years)Gender: 356 females (42.23%) Grade: 6th grade 265

465 males (55.16%) 7th grade 2778th grade 301

Ethnic Background:Neighborhood Distribution:

180160140120100

80604020

0

%2.6%0 6 1.9%Native American/American Indian

/".ti% Native American/M U i-ethnic 24.9°/ MI American Indian

White/European

White Asian/PacificIslander

6.4% Asian/Pacific IslanderLatino

Multi-Ethnic

55 7% LatinoIM Other

71 NoneEthnicity of Students at Kennedy

Redwood City Neighborhoods Represented at Kennedy

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Redwood City Neighborhoods

*Cities outside of Redwood City' (Not RWC) included Daly City, East Palo Alto. Santa Clara. Menlo Park.San Carlos. and San Mateo.

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High SchoolTotal Surveys: 105 ninth (9th) grade studentsGender: 56 females (53.30%)

48 males (45.70%)

Ethnic Background: youth decided not to include this question in their survey

Neighborhood Distribution:

3

East MenloPark 8

Number of Youth from Each City

Redwood City

74

El Redwood City

East Palo Alto

Menlo Park

o Porto la Valley

Woodside

Emerald Hills

La Honda

0 Other1

Academic Background: To get a sense of their academic background, we asked youth if they consideredthemselves good students. Most youth, approximately 62%, considered themselves good students.

70

60 I

50

40

30

20

10

0

Number of Youth Describing Themselves as"Good Students"

55

No Sort of Yes Don't know

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V. Preliminary Findings From Interviews and Surveys

Middle School: Major Findings

After we gathered our data, the findings were organized into 3 main areas:Youth's thoughts on their:

1. home2. school3. neighborhood

These categories made sense since these are the 3 main areas where youth said they spent their time.

Home Life

'4> Finding # 1: For the most part, youth like their home life.

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Survey ResultsPercent of Youth Who Like Their Home Life

7L '2[101

Yes (631/837)

111,18%

Sort of (152/837) No (54/837)

Interviews added additional information about youth's thoughts on their home life as seen below.

Interviews showed that youth liked their home life because:they had a good family relationshipthey had good friends aroundthey had things to do like watch TV or play video games

Those who didn't like their home life said:they had a bad relationship with their parentsthey lived with one parentthey felt they had nothing to do at home

After conducting interviews with their peers, many community youth researchers observed that someyouth refused to answer questions about their home life because they were too personal. Some revisionswere made to questions, but it was still difficult to gather more data on their home life.

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SchoolFinding # 2: Youth for the most part like going to school, with younger youth (6`11 grade)liking it more than older youth (8th grade).

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Do you like going to school?

Do not like

Senesl 112

Sort of Like

296

Do Like

425

We included an open-ended question asking why youth liked school. Their answers were then groupedinto the categories below:

400c 350

-10 300250

'8 200ou. 150-0 100z 50

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Why Youth Like School

Interviews confirmed the survey data and added some additional information.

Interviews showed that youth liked school because:they liked being with friendsclasses were interesting and they felt they were learningthey were getting good gradesit was important and getting an education mattered

Those who didn't like school said:they thought school was boringthey got too much homeworkthey didn't like the teaching methods

In their interviews, youth complained that teachers ran through lectures too quickly and didn't sufficientlyexplain material or homework. They also stated that teachers didn't make the lessons very interactive.

1 0

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Neighborhood

Finding # 3: For the most part, youth like their neighborhood.

Of the 840 youth who answered the question "Do you like your neighborhood?":

51 or 6.07% said they didn't like it

230 or 27.38% said they sort of liked it and

559 or 66.55% said they did like it

However, when we looked at the neighborhoods with the highest amount of respondents, those in PalmPark, Friendly Acres, and North Fair Oaks reported liking their neighborhoods less than those who live inthe Roosevelt and Woodside Plaza neighborhoods.

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

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10%

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How Well Do Students Like Their Neighborhood

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Note: The sample for the breakdown by neighborhood is smaller than the total (only 717) since somerespondents did not state their neighborhood

10

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Finding # 4: Although most youth reported there weren't any gano in their neighborhood,youth in East Redwood City neighborhoods reported more gano in their neighborhoodsthan youth in neighborhoods in West Redwood City.

Of the 831 youth who responded to the question "Are there gangs in your neighborhood?":

526 or 63.30% said there were no gangs

151 or 18.17% said there sort of were gangs

154 or 18.53% said there were gangs

As shown in this graph, neighborhoods that reported the most gang activity were North Fair Oaks, outsideRedwood City, and Redwood Village.

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Gangs by Neighborhood

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Finding # 5: Only about 30% of youth overall found anything amusing in theirneighborhood for kids.

Of the 833 youth who answered the question "Is there anything amusing in your neighborhood for kids?":

421 or 50.54% said there weren't any fun things in their neighborhood

167 or 20.05% said there were sort of fun things and only

245 or 29.41% said there were fun things in their neighborhoods

When we looked at this information by grade, younger youth reported more fun things than olderyouth.

For example:45.64% of 6th grades said there were fun things40.29% of 7th graders said there were fun things in their neighborhood, while only33.11% of 8th graders said there were amusing things in their neighborhood for youth

These results might have to do with the fact that the 8th graders feel that there are activities for youngeryouth and for high school youth, but not many opportunities for middle school students.

When we looked at this question by neighborhood, youth living near recreation centers reported more funthings, while youth in neighborhoods with large amounts of respondents like Friendly Acres, Palm Park-Redwood Oaks, and Palm Park reported fewer fun things for youth.

100%

90%

80%

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Finding # 6: Youth from Stambaugh-Heller and F'riendly Acres reported the most problemswith transportation.

40%

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15%

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Do You Have Problems with Transportation?

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Stambaugh-Heller is a neighborhood close to high traffic areas such as the Woodside Road overpass andEl Camino Real, which is difficult for pedestrians to cross. Students from Friendly Acres also havetrouble with transportation, especially getting to school.

When asked what kind of recommendations they had for public transportation, the top recommendationswere more public transportation, buses that come more frequently, and cheaper and cleaner transportation

Recommendations for Public Transportation

E 50

0No Not sure Buses come

morefrequently

Cleaner Cheaper More More public Othercomfortable transportation

in general (liketrains etc )

A chart listing these findings (in addition to others) by neighborhood together can be found in AppendixD: Compiled Results by Neighborhood.

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High School: Major Findings

Finding # 1: Surveys showed that youth spend most of their time after school doing:n Homework

SportsHanging out with friends

o Using the computer or watching TV

nothing4%

other4%

arts/instruments5%

computer/tv10%

High School Youth's After School Activities

2%1°4 %

homework

friends/hang ou

12%

30%

sports

31% homework

M sports

El friends/hanging out

o computer/TV

o arts/instruments

Et other

111 nothing/no

0 library

0 home

el work

Finding # 2: Youth feel welcome mainly everywhere, at home, and in most public places:

Of the 104 students who responded to the question "Are there any places where you feel welcome?":91 or 87.50% said yes9 or 8.65% said no and4 or 3.85% weren't sure

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Finding # 3: When asked what they liked most about the community, most youth liked thepeople.

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What Youth Like About the Community

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Finding # 4: When asked whether they would seek help from a center for support, over halfof the youth said they would.

Of the 89 youth who responded to the question "Would you go to a youth center for help if the help youneeded was available?"47 or 52.81% said yes32 or 35.96% said no and9 or 10.11% said they weren't sure

For those who said they would seek help from a center, students rated homework centers and places totalk about family or personal problems as most important. Choices were not provided in the surveys sostudents were free to state whatever they needed.

353025201510

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If they sought help from a center, type of help they would need:

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15

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VI. Youth RecommendationsThe Y.E.L.L. Team presented this data in Power Point presentation form to various audiences including:

May 8111 Stanford School of Education course on -Best Practices in Youth Development"May le City Council of Redwood CityMay 29th Woodside High School Task ForceJune 7th Kennedy Middle School Faculty MeetingJune 13' Redwood City School BoardOctober 3rd Sequoia Union High School Board (upcoming)

The community youth researchers spent a great deal of time preparing for these presentations. As a resultof their presentations, youth have been invited to participate in various ways and are currently planningtheir next steps for involvement in the community.

A key component to the Y.E.L.L. Project is to introduce adults and policy-makers to the value ofdeveloping partnerships with youth in decision-making. The various decision-making bodies were re-introduced to this valuable concept through the youth presentations. Additional work is currentlyunderway to support youth and adults in becoming partners at the decision-making table.

Based on individual community youth research and recommendations provided in interviews and surveys,the Y.E.L.L. Team developed the following recommendations, which were shared at these presentationswith the appropriate decision-making bodies.

Key Recommendations by Middle School YouthI. Friendlier Climate

a. Reduce violence and encourage people to be kind to each otherb. Have more activities for youth to reduce violence and gangs in our own neighborhoodc. Support more kids who want to be involved in the community to make positive changes

for youth2. Activities and Places for Youth

a. More places for teens to hang out, especially younger teens in our own neighborhoodsb. More activities for youth in the neighborhood (i.e. dances)c. Develop more places like Red Morton in the neighborhoods but less expensive; youth

feel things are too expensived. Explore legalized places for skating and expand park space

3. City Infrastructure and Transportationa. Improve city street cleaning and graffiti removalb. Build a pedestrian ramp on HWY 101 to make it easier for kids from East Bayshore to go

to schoolc. Support cheaper and more available public transportation for youth

4. Teaching Methodsa. Youth would like teachers to spend less time talking during the period and make it more

interactive (more support for teacher training)b. Youth recommend that teachers coordinate with other teachers in the amount and time

they assign large projectsc. Youth recommend that teachers and the district help kids stay in school and support

programs that help youth stay in school, those already running and new ones (we foundthat only 26% of Kennedy students are involved in any clubs or organizations)

d. More understanding teachers (teachers to get to know youth better)

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This chart outlines the recommendations middle school youth survey respondents made. Here again.youth provided their own written responses, which were later coded into the following categories:

200

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

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Recommendations for Redwood City by Middle School Students

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In addition to the recommendations made by middle school youth, high school youth's mainrecommendation was to have more commercial and public places for youth such as:

I. Places for youth to do homework and talk about personal problems (resource centers)2. More places for youth to hang out, (both commercial and public) like community centers,

malls, and restaurants.

Youth Recommendations

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18

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VII. Next Steps

The next phase of work for this pilot project will take place in the following three areas:

1. Information Sharing and Data IntegrationThe Y.E.L.L. Project is continuing to share this data with various Redwood City groups to give anexample of the type of data that a community youth research effort can generate. We are currentlyworking on ways to integrate this baseline data with other data on the status of youth in Redwood Citythat is already available from other sources. We look forward to collaborating on this endeavor with otherlocal organizations and institutions in integrating, maintaining, and using this data on an ongoing basis toinform youth policy and decision-making at all levels.

2. Sharing Tools to Support Local Youth Involvement EffortsAs a result of this year's pilot Y.E.L.L. Project, we have learned key lessons and developed various toolsto support youth involvement and decision-making efforts in Redwood City. We have developed acommunity youth research curriculum (available in September) that we would like to share with localorganizations, councils, and other interested groups as a tool that can engage youth in becoming involvedin their community while gathering valuable data on the needs and stren2ths of Redwood City youth andtheir neighborhoods. We will be contacting interested groups and welcome suggestions or interest fromadditional organizations in Redwood City that serve and support youth.

3. Continue Supporting Pilot Kennedy Community Youth ResearchersIn the fall, the Y.E.L.L. Project will continue to support the pilot community youth researchers in localand citywide community involvement efforts they have expressed interest in and have received support toparticipate. These include youth interest on city committees such as Pride and Beautification, the YouthAdvisory Committee from the Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department, and following upon youth recommendations to the City Council.

Part of the second phase of this pilot work will also involve integration of youth and community youthresearch into the local governance and ongoing evaluation of Kennedy Middle School's new familycenter, where youth and adults have expressed interest in partnering with each other in the coordination ofthe center.

Several pilot community youth researchers will serve as mentors to next fall's cadre of community youthresearchers, who together follow up on recommendations made to the Redwood City School District aswell as the Kennedy Middle School staff during their presentations to these groups in June.

Furthermore, we look forward to convening interested members of various organizations and groups inRedwood City in the fall to discuss the various directions that this project and other youth developmentefforts between the city and the Gardner Center can take.

Community Youth Researchers (left to right)Paula Garcia, Anahi Aguilar,1.1 Venable, and Andres Garciaat Kenneth, Middle SchoollookingJOr a site to videotapethe closing to their video:"Our Neighborhoods: Youth Tell the Truth".

19

18

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VIII. Conclusion

We hope that this preliminary data has been helpful in providing an overview of the community youthresearch process. We think this data can generate discussion on how we can work tov,ether to supportyouth development and involvement in Redwood City.

Collaborators on this project, a product of an exciting partnership between Redwood City and the John W.Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities welcomes any questions, suggestions, or interest in thisaspect of our new partnership and its developing work. Please contact our Managing Director, JoyWagner, at (650) 726-2064 or visit our website http:'faardnercenterAanford.edu if you would likeadditional information on this effort to further Redwood City's youth development and education goals.

Special thanks to the following people for their support of the Y.E.L.L. Project:

Kennedy Healthy Start Planning CommitteeEdna Acri (Kennedy Middle School)Yolanda Padilla (Kennedy PTA)Maryse Frivold (Kennedy Parent)Caroline Currie (Redwood City School District)Karin Kelley-Torregroza (Healthy Start)Pat Crawford (Human Services Agency SMC)Judy Davila (Human Services Agency SMC)Valerie Fisher (SMCOE-RAPP)Lisa Fisher (Youth and Family Assistance)Beth Ross (Redwood City 2020)

Woodside High SchoolJudy Hanson (Woodside High School Campus Climate Task Force Member)Linda Common (Woodside High School Principal)Woodside High School Teachers and Staff

Kennedy Middle SchoolWarren Sedar (Kennedy Middle School Principal)Kennedy Teachers and Staff

The John Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities

Redwood City 2020

Superintendent Ron Crates and the Redwood City School Board

Board President Lorraine Rumley and the Sequoia Union High School District

City Manager Ed Everett, the City of Redwood City, and the City Council

VideoCat Productions

19

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X. Appendices

A. Redwood City Neighborhood Map

B. Interview Protocols (High School and Middle School)

C. Youth Surveys (High School and Middle School)

D. Compiled Results by Neighborhood

2 0

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Appendix A: Redwood City Neighborhood Map

Redwood City Neighborhoods

CM' OF RE DWi curl'NE IGHBORIKKM ViMICIATKIN

BOUNDARY MAP

OAK KNOLL -,XOGEWOOD PARK

-

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STAMBAUGH-t I-HUY&

CITY OF REDWOOD CITY

-11

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Appendix B: Interview Protocols

oterview QuestiooHigh School

1. What grade are you in? How old are you?2. What is school like for you?3. What do you do in your spare time?4. How do you get around?5. Where do you hang out?6. What are the ages of the people you hang out with?7. What do your friends like to do?8. What do you do at home?9. What kinds of things do you want in your community?

terview Questioai oddle School 1,0

Revised on 12/14/00

1. What grade are you in?2. How old are you?3. What kinds of things do you like to do?4. What are your friends like?5. How do you spend your time? Where?.6. What is school like for you?7. What kinds of things do you do at home?8. What do you want for your future?9. How do you feel about your neighborhood?10. What kind of activities do you want in your community?11. What is your dream of the perfect community?12. Do you want help with anything in your life? Where? What kind?

(with other follow-up questions depending on the answers they give)

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Appendix C: Youth Mapping Surveys

High School Youth Mapping Survey

What we want to know from you!

The Youth Mapping Project in Redwood City is using this survey to help develop new programs for youth to helpthe community to become a better place for youth today. Please take a few minutes to help us by filling out thissurvey. The information that you will give us will be very helpful and appreciated. Thank you for taking the time todo this survey for us. This survey will remain anonymous.

I. How old are you?

2. What uade are you in?

3. What is your gender?

4. What city/area do you live in?

5. Would you consider yourself a good student?

6. What do you do to keep yourself busy?

7. What places do you know of where youth can go to get help, hang out. etc.?

8. Are there any places where you feel welcome? Which ones? Why?

9. What types of things do you believe you need in your community?

10. What are your after school activities (ex. Sports. homework. etc.)?

I 1. What are your weekend activities?

12. What are some of the ways you 2.et around to do your after school and weekend activities?

13. What do you like in your community? Why?

13

24

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14. What do you dislike in your community? Why?

15. What kinds of places do you think we need to try to make the community better?

16. Would you go to a youth center for help if the help you needed was available? If so. what help would that he?

17. What times would you most likely go?

18. How would you get there?

Is there anything else about your community you would like others to know?

Thank you for your time!

/4

1

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Kennedy Youth Mapping Project

Please take this survey seriously and answer each question honestly.

I. Flow old are you? 2. What grade are you in

Survey

Thank you.

near Jack in the Box on Woodside

3. How many brothers/sisters do you have?

4. What school do you go to?

5. Where do you live by? Example: I live

Circle one

6. Do you like your neighborhood? Yes No Sort of

7. Do you live near friends from school? Yes No Sort of

8. Is there anything amusing in yourneighborhood for kids?

Yes No Sort of

9. Are there gangs in your neighborhood? Yes No Sort of

10. Do you like your home life? Yes No Sort of

II. Do you have an allowance? Yes No Sort ofIf so. how much?

12. Do you have a hard time with transportation? Yes No Sort of

13. Do you like going to school? Yes No Sort of

Byes. why?

14. What is your hobby?

Please state your answer

15. Are you in a club or organization? If yes, which one?

16. flow long have you lived in Redwood City?

17. What do you think will make Redwood City a better place to live?

18. Have you ever done any community service? If so, specify.

19. Have you been on a train lately?gone?

Have you traveled on bus lately?

If so, where have you

If so, where have you gone?

26

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20. How do you think transportation may be improved in any way?

Circle one

21. What is your gender? Male Female

12. What ethnicity are you? Native American/American Indian

African American

White/European Other

Asian/Islander

Hispanic/Latino

Write each number you agree with most.

1= strongly disagree 2= disagree 3= undecided 4= agree 5= strongly agree

23. Do you like playing sports?

24. Do you go to the library often?

25. Are clothes expensive?

26. Are the movies, roller rink. Malibu or other forms of recreation expensive?

27. Does transportation need to be cheaper?

28. If you could get a job at a fast food restaurant, would you get it?If yes, which one?

Please answer the following question.

29.What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Whv?

30. Do you have any information that might be useful for improving our community?

Please return to your teacher by Wednesday. March 14 afternoon at the latest.Thank you for your time.

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