CYDMS Program Evaluation

This is a summary of CYDMS Program evaluation and needs assessment. Youth focus group part.

Question 12:  What does CYDMS do for you?

The total number of youth who responded to this question is 12.  The question offered 17 options and provided youth an opportunity to add additional items in “other” section.  No additional suggestions were made in “other” section; however, the 17 options were ranked as follows (based on the percentage of respondents who checked off the item):

1. Provides me with recreational activity (100% of youth checked this item off)
2. Offers positive role models, assists me in developing vision for the future, gives me hope, keeps me focused on positive things (92%)
3. Shows me positive and negative consequences of life choices, gives me guidance and support (77%)
4. Helps me chose positive friends, helps me with school work, assists me in getting better grades in school, helps me stay out of trouble (75%)
5. Helps me figure out a right career and how to get there, helps me make positive choices in life (67%)
6. Helps improve my relationship with my community, helps improve my relationship with my school, and teaches me about healthy lifestyle (42%)
7. Helps improve my relationship with my parents (33%)

On average, individual youths checked off 12.25 out of 17 items offered.  One youth checked off 15 items (highest amount checked off).  Most (33%, n=4) identified 14 items.  Two youth identified 13, while another two (17%) 12 items.  Another four youth (32%) checked off 7, 8, and 15 items (at 8% or n=1 each).

When comparing the results of this question with the answers from question 8 (the issues that youth struggle with), it is safe to conclude that CYDMS support youth significantly through their challenges.  However, there are some program suggestions that come out of this data as well.  The chart below compares the issues identified in question 8 and the results of question 12.

 Question13:  Of the above list, what are the three most important things to you?

Twelve youth answered this question.  The top three most important things youth identified (based on number of youth choosing the item) were:

1. Gives me guidance and support (50% of respondents identified as top three)
2. Provides me recreational activity, Offers positive role models (33% of youth identified as top three)
3. Helps me with school work, keeps me focused on positive things, assists me in developing a vision for the future (25% of youth identified as top three)

The three most important things youth get from CYDMS were then listed in order of importance. Out of the items that was most often ranked as 1^st most important, “offers positive role models” and “helps me with school work” were cited the most and accounted for 50% of 1^st most important entries.  The second most important items were identified as “gives me guidance and support” and “provides me with recreational activity” accounted for 49% of all 2^nd most important entries.  These were also most often chosen as the third most important item (for a total of 16%).  In order of importance, the top four items youth identified CYDMS provides for them are:

1. Offers positive role models
2. Helps me with school work
3. Gives me guidance and support
4. Provides me with recreational activity

The chart below compares the services that are actually important to youth to the number of respondents who felt that CYDMS provides that specific service.  The top four most important items to youth (see above) also ranked as top four items CYDMS provides to them.  However, the order of importance does not align with the ranking of each item in question 12.  Despite some differences in the rankings, these are overall positive results. 

On an individual level, 11 of 12 youth who answered this question checked of the item in question 12 that was listed in their top most important things in question 13.