Youth Engagement: Lessons Learned
Subtitle for publication Youth Engagement Lessons Learned
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Associated Project
Building Program Capacity to Support Youth at Risk of Homelessness (YARH): Phases I-III
Prepared for:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation
Key Findings
Grantees and the evaluation TA teams identified a variety of strategies and lessons learned regarding youth engagement in the initial implementation of interventions:
- Engagement should be early and creative
- Building rapport sets the stage for sustained engagement
- Goal setting is an opportunity to encourage youth voice and youth choice
- Use multiple methods to know if, when, and to what extent youth are engaged
Based on the strategies developed and lessons learned, the brief offers considerations that support youth engagement in services.
This brief describes grantees’ experiences engaging youth in Youth At-Risk of Homelessness (YARH) interventions, including the methods they used to engage youth in services. The brief should be of interest to individuals who work with youth in similar circumstances, including service providers, program administrators, program evaluators, and funders.
To learn more about YARH grantees’ experiences, challenges, and solutions related to engaging youth, Mathematica hosted a peer-learning experience in summer 2020. Six YARH grantees shared their experiences engaging youth and young adults at risk of homelessness in services. The YARH grantees responded to prepared questions to help guide the discussion (see questions at the end of the brief). This brief summarizes lessons learned from YARH grantees regarding youth engagement in the initial implementation of interventions.
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