Degree Name

MA in Social Justice in Intercultural Relations

First Advisor

John Ungerleider

Abstract

This report presents a program assessment that was conducted for the Seattle-based non-profit youth program, OneWorld Now! (OWN). Through initial needs assessments with the organization it was found that there are frequently high attrition rates in the second year of the two-year program. As a result, through interviews with alumni from the OWN program who had stayed involved for several years, this study explored: What influenced the continued participation of these students in the OWN program as 2nd year students and alumni? And, given their extensive involvement, what recommendations do they have for encouraging retention into the second year and beyond and in general, for improving the OWN program? Several single-issue interview oral histories and an informal focus group were used in order to gather data on theses areas of inquiry. Names have been removed in order to protect the identities of the participants. The findings revealed various influences on the students’ continued participation as 2nd year students and alumni, along with barriers to this involvement and recommendations for improving retention and better supporting students who have completed the OWN program. There were also more general suggestions for improving the OWN program overall. From these findings, it has been concluded that OWN is overwhelmingly a successful, effective program that has greatly influenced the lives of its participants. However, there are various steps that could be taken to improve issues with attrition in the future. It is recommended that the organization explore these options and continue to interview current students and alumni in order to further determine program modifications and improvements.

Disciplines

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Curriculum and Social Inquiry | Disability and Equity in Education | Education | Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | International and Comparative Education | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies | Student Counseling and Personnel Services

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