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Looking for more information about CYEPMN? Keep on reading!!
In 2006 a group of youth and adults set-out to find ways to connect youth to community assets — especially to opportunities already available. Representatives from Cleveland, Lind-Bohanon, Shingle Creek, and McKinley neighborhood associations; Jenny Lind and Lucy Craft Laney Community Education; and Research, Planning and Development Department of Hennepin County joined together to form the Camden Youth Engagement Project (CYEP) planning team. The original intent was to connect youth to youth and community resources by having them survey other youth, businesses and agencies and create and distribute a youth-friendly asset map.
By July 2008, the summary below from the Hennepin County Phase 3& 4 Evaluation of the Camden Youth Engagement Project by Rebecca Gilgen of Hennepin County reflects the challenges and positive outcomes of this unique project.
What differences did the YEP make? Overall, youth and adults agreed that the YEP made a difference in Camden by:
Increasing positive opportunities for youth Crew members were invested in the YEP, as roughly 50 percent contributed six to eight hours per week.
Building facilitative leadership necessary for the 21st-century
Crew members were capable and confident leaders, as shown by increases of 15-20 percent from phase three to phase four in self-reporting of leadership and facilitation skills.
Increasing public willingness to support youth
A new fiscal sponsor for the YEP emerged: Lind-Bohanon Neighborhood Association.
Creating space for youth and adults to connect and get involved
Overall youth were satisfied with the crew leaders while wanting crew leaders to provide more information that could help them complete tasks.
Crew leaders were successful at building relationships, using a collaborative structure and creating a space that uses facilitation rather than top-down decision making to accomplish goals.
The youth crew provided the community with the following:
Produced 10 movie nights, engaging on average 20 youth per night
Organized two talent shows, engaging on average 35 per show
Volunteered with Lyndale Blooms, Toys for Tots, and the Lucy Laney School Barbecue
Promoted the Camden Youth Map at 13 community events and distributed over 1,500 maps
Sustained their effort by raising $1,973 through car washes, grant writing, and selling snacks at Movie Nights and the North Housing Fair
Did youth and adults use the asset map?
Most community residents said they were aware of and would use the map. Overwhelmingly residents said they would attend the next YEP event. A larger sample would be needed to strengthen these findings.
Over half of the surveyed North Minneapolis residents (57%, n=23) were aware of the Camden map of youth assets
Residents stated they would use the map for the following:
*29 percent said they would keep the map in their pocket to help find places
*28 percent said they would use the map to find youth-friendly places
*23 percent said they would post or display the map
Most surveyed residents (90%, n=36) said they would attend the next YEP event
What should the YEP focus on in the next phase and how can it grow?
All participants found strengths and challenges in the project, and everyone involved is committed to carrying-forward successes and facing challenges in order to strengthen the YEP.
For long-term growth:
The YEP will need financial support to sustain quality programming.
The YEP will need to continue to build a program that allows for enough structure to build relationships, while ensuring that there is sufficient flexibility needed for engagement.
The YEP must continue to learn from participatory evaluation
As a result of the Evaluation, LBNA has stepped up to be the new fiscal agent for this effort by committing to:
Develop a strategic plan for a sustainable program
Provide additional staff, crewleaders and crew support to help continue planning, supporting, and connecting to additional activities in the community and additional planning time needed for phase V
Provide funds to seek out and leverage dollars for continuing YEP growth efforts
Our Goals:
- Find a permanent home for CYEP program.
- Work with partners to create a long-term sustainable fundraising plan for CYEP to build on the momentum of the developed project.
- Hire a full-time crewleader and crew to continue to continuity and momentum of the project
- Transition the project to a program to continue to catalyze and elevate Camden community youth and its partners, becoming a national model for youth engagement.
What’s next and how can you help?
Help us meet our goal of raising $50,000 to continue to leverage the support shown by the McKnight Foundation, Otto Bremer, Shingle Creek Neighborhood Association and LBNA.
We need help developing and implementing the CYEP sustainability plan.
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