Minnesota Youth Intervention Programs Association (YIPA) supports quality, evidence-based early intervention programs. YIPA expects that all of its members are constantly striving for improvement, even, and especially, in hard economic times. The following summarizes YIPA’s preliminary steps toward creating an environment of best practices in Minnesota. The summary covers three separate, but linked documents. The first is a web and literature review focused on highlighting research on evaluation methods and best practices in a range of fields related to youth development. The second document is an overview of trends in evaluation practices for YIPA members. The final document explores the next steps in evaluation and best practices for YIPA and its membership.

Literature Review
The literature review’s main purposes are to encourage greater emphasis on evaluation and to become the foundation for further research. There are three key points that emerge from the literature review.

First, not all studies are equally good. Statistics can be warped (intentionally or unintentionally) by bad design or faulty logic. Researchers learn how to spot the pitfalls in new studies, but practitioners also need to know how to sift the good information from the bad. Keeping up to date on methods and breakthroughs in research is a great way to avoid the confusion of twisted statistics.

Second, there is not one perfect answer to “what are best practices in youth intervention?” There is still a great deal of innovating left to do. YIPA member programs can and should be a part of this innovation. YIPA will provide resources, support and professional development to help this process of evaluation and creation, but ultimately it is up to providers to make changes.

Third, researchers, practitioners, funders, and people from different fields need to communicate. Communication between these groups has been spotty in the past and sometimes even strained. That cannot continue. Each one of these groups holds part of the solution. YIPA wants to support conversation and collaboration in whatever way our members need. Please keep in mind that there are amazing resources out there!


Mapping Evaluation in Minnesota
The “map” of current intervention practices also contains two important themes. The key to this document is that early youth intervention programs are already engaged in a rich array of evaluation practices. The data that organizations collect today are the fuel for creative best practices in the future.

The first key theme is variety. Programs appear to be most successful when they rely on a range of tools to evaluate their program. This typically entails a mix of pre -and post -surveys for participants and/or parents, qualitative case notes, and some program-level evaluation. The best programs seem to link their organization’s goals to the things they are trying to measure, so that the evaluation process is a clear reflection of the program.

The second theme is collaboration. Programs use a number of techniques for collaboration both internal and external. Programs integrate evaluation processes into their weekly meetings, monthly reviews etc. Other groups used their organization’s networks to create a standard set of goals and ideas between programs. Many, of course, use the Office of Justice Programs survey, which is required for YIP grantees. Some also use quality initiatives supported, for example, by the Youth Works Institute.


Next Steps
The “next steps” document is certainly a work in progress. As steps are taken to improve practices, then new steps will surely appear. The main points for “next steps” are what organizations can do and what YIPA can do to move forward.

YIPA encourages its members to think hard about the tools that are currently being used to evaluate programs. Do they truly measure the goals of the program? How can they best be represented to funders and used in advocacy campaigns? YIPA also encourages members to share their stories and keep the conversation about best practices and evaluation fresh.

YIPA will support its members’ efforts to improve practices in youth intervention in a variety of ways. First, YIPA plans to pursue collaborations that will make new evaluation models accessible and affordable for youth intervention programs. YIPA also plans to bring key players: funders, government agencies, university researchers, non -profit leaders etc. together to continue these important conversations about best practices. Finally, YIPA will use the collective knowledge of the association to advocate for youth intervention program funding at the state level.

These research documents are meant to be useful on their own, but this project is also one piece of the constantly evolving debate about best practices. YIPA wants to hear what its membership thinks about evaluation methods and how programs determine what practices are successful. Contact YIPA or comment through YIPA’s social media outlets to make sure that your voice is heard.


Contact:
Jessi Strinmoen, Director of Services  jstrinmoen@mnyipa.org

Follow YIPA online:
www.kidschangemn.blogspot.com
Twitter: KidsChange
Facebook: KidsChange
LinkedIn: MN Youth Intervention Programs Association (YIPA) Group

We congratulate the recipients of YIPA's 2009 Friends of Youth Leadership award:
Talia Beck of Target, Innovative Funding Leadership
Doug Hovelson of Big Thunder Public Relations, Program Leadership
Meredythe Jones Rossi of Jones Rossi Co., Program Leadership
Krista McFarland of Teens Against Dating Abuse, Program Leadership
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, Legislative Leadership

The Innovative Funding Leadership Award is for those individuals, foundations, corporations, civic groups or other entities that have set an example for innovative funding to youth intervention programs in the state of Minnesota.  In 2009 Talia Beck is the recipient of YIPA’s Innovative Funding Leadership Award. Talia Beck has been a friend of YIPA for many years. Even before Talia went to work for Target she worked for the PR firm of Weber Shandwick. Weber Shandwick choose YIPA as a pro bono client to help us with our PR needs and Talia led the team that helped us. After moving to Target, Talia continued her desire to help YIPA. She joined the KidsChange Steering Committee and also helped YIPA secure a $50,000 sponsorship from Target for YIPA’s training programs. She also helped make sure the KidsChange web site became a reality by getting Target to fund the cost of creating the new web site.

The Program Leadership Award is for a program in the area of youth intervention or an early intervention program that has had great success working with youth and/or their families or in promoting early youth intervention.   We had three recipients for this award in 2009.

Doug Hovelson, the owner of Big Thunder Public Relations.  For the past 10 years, Doug has provided pro bono PR help to YIPA and it’s membership. This has included handling the press coverage for YIPA’s Social Return on Investment research release, the past Youth Days at the Capitol, and our recent KidsChange Extreme Teen Makeover event.  He has also been a member of YIPA’s PR Committee and help secure a 3 year pro bono relationship with Rusten Marketing Group located in St. Paul. Additionally, Doug provided the copy for YIPA’s second Membership Monograph on PR Tips.

Meredythe Jones Rossi.  Getting a website up and running takes a tremendous amount of talent and work.  This year, YIPA rolled out our KidsChange website and Meredythe was very instrumental in making this happen.  The KidsChange website provides information to various constituencies about our members and their early intervention programs and services.   Working with our 90 + members and getting the complete and correct information on the KidsChange website about their early intervention services was coordinated by Meredythe.   Additionally, she provided valuable computer and graphic assistance to the KidsChange Extreme Teen Makeover event at the Mall of America.

Krista McFarland from the Pearl Crisis Center in Milaca.   Krista  directs the program “Teens Against Dating Abuse” (TADA).  TADA's mission is Mille Lacs County teens dedicated to educating the community and preventing teen dating abuse.  TADA is involved with Teen Dating Violence Awareness Prevention Week and the Action Day to Stop Domestic Violence Against Women at the State Capitol (both are in February).  TADA members speak at area groups and have representatives at teen attended events. TADA has also hosted a teen conference, and submitted PSAs and letters to the editors to our local papers for various areas of concern regarding teen dating abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault.

The Legislative Leadership Award is for individuals in city, county, state or national government who have taken a leadership role in promoting and supporting the concept of early intervention youth programming as an effective solution to keeping youth out of the more costly juvenile justice system.   The 2009 recipient of YIPA’s Legislative Leadership award is R.T. Rybak, Mayor of Minneapolis.  In January 2008, Mayor Rybak launched the Blueprint to Prevent Youth Violence, a multi-faceted, multi-year action plan to attack the core issues behind the violence being inflicted on and by too many young people.  Drawing on a mix of increased law enforcement and public health strategies to address the root causes of violence and significantly reduce and prevent youth violence in Minneapolis, the city, in partnership with a host of community stakeholders, created and is implementing the Blueprint for Action.