Today's Youth -- Tomorrow's Future : a youth program in Springfield, Massachusetts and its practice of the youth development approach

Degree Name

MA in Sustainable Development

First Advisor

Nikoi Kote-Nikoi

Abstract

oday’s Youth…Tomorrow’s Future (TYTF) is a youth program run entirely by student volunteers. It is located on the campus of Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. I decided to complete a case study on this program, because of its uniqueness and because I hoped this research might help the student volunteers answer questions they have about the program’s strengths and weaknesses, and its ultimate sustainability. My research question is, “In what ways has Today’s Youth…Tomorrow’s Future developed, and how can the program flourish in the future?” I employed principally observation and interviews to collect the data. The conclusions of my analysis are 1) the students can improve the programming they provide by enhancing their understanding and implementation of the youth development approach, and 2) for TYTF to achieve program sustainability, the student volunteers and the administration of Springfield College must make a collaborative effort to institutionalize TYTF into the college’s academic and service-learning programs. I genuinely hope that the students and administrators of Springfield College will use this case study as a tool in making the vision of Today’s Youth…Tomorrow’s Future a reality.

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