Documenting Progress and Demonstrating Results: Evaluating Bridges to the Future

Year Awarded: 2005
Project Leaders:
Christopher Dunbar Jr., MSU Department of Educational Administration; Jessica V. Barnes, Early Head Start Expansion and Safe Schools–Healthy Students, MSU; Alicia M. Marting, United Way of Genesee County; Brad Harnick, 4-H Youth Development, Genesee County MSU Extension

Project Description:
Bridges to the Future (BTF) is a Genesee County program that uses an adaptive youth development model to reinforce fundamentals learned during the school day by providing fun and creative learning experiences after school. The program provides cultural, academic, and recreational enrichment to youth and their families through quality after-school activities.

The primary goal of the program is to assist youth in meeting their developmental needs and milestones. It does this by providing a physically and emotionally safe environment with consistent adult leadership and nurturing to provide youth with positive activities that reach the "whole" child through promoting positive connections between the youth and their varied contexts. Youth who participate in BTF are provided with opportunities to engage in activities that foster youth leadership, youth empowerment, and asset building.

This study proposes a mixed-methods approach that uses the power of both qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods to assess the extent to which the program is fulfilling its goals. Through the use of structured interviews (of youth, their parents, teachers, and BTF staff) and surveys (of youth, their parents, and BTF directors and staff), we will assess the extent to which BTF is providing the core program components, and the influence of the program on participants.