Critical Success Factors for Improving Communities through Youth Engagement

Willems G¹*

1. University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A

As the Youth Leadership for Vital Communities initiative (YLVC) demonstrated, engaged youth can make significant contributions to their communities. YLVC was designed specifically to engage youth in the public good, value diversity, and strengthen communities in Minnesota. Many similar youth development programs attempt to reach these goals. What is it about this program that has led to such exceptional success?

Evaluation data gathered from participant interviews, focus groups, and document analysis indicated an unusually high level of success in building social capital in these communities and also pointed to key factors for that success. Social capital’s individual and collective features are seen in YLVC youth and adults. They grow in skills, knowledge, and personal development; their communities are improved through better social connections and the attainment of mutual project goals that benefited the community.

What can we learn and apply to other youth engagement activities? This paper shares stories of the YLVC youth and adults, describes the program, the complex and multidimensional impact of the initiative, and the five key elements that led to individual and team successes.

Five critical factors for achieving successful individual outcomes and building communities’ social capital for change emerged from the data analysis process. These factors include: (1) quality relationships within and outside the teams; (2) engagement in changes for the public good; (3) acquired skills and competence leading to a sense of social agency; (4) well-designed training; and (5) opportunities to better understand their communities and their role in it.