Youth Support and Development: A Program Evaluation

Ashleigh Powell, Tess Barich, Bryony Jardine, Halle Birdseye, Ian Goodwin-Smith, Svetlana Bogomolova, Penny Baldock, Celina Valente, Eva Purvis, Doonan Annette, Amanda Jurisevic, Jim Gillespie

Research output: Contribution to journalMeeting Abstractpeer-review

Abstract

Young people are experiencing increasing social disconnection in a complex socio-economic climate. A socio-ecological approach is therefore required to improve wellbeing and behavioural outcomes in this population. The Department of Human Services (DHS) South Australia’s Youth Support and Development (YSD) program aims to improve wellbeing and engagement in education and employment in young people, and involves two components: (1) tailored, individualised support, and (2) community development to build social, education, and employment opportunities. This research was a field study evaluating the effectiveness of this program, using data collected from 657 participants pre- and post-intervention (Mage = 17 years). Wellbeing was measured using the Personal Wellbeing Index – School Children (PWISC) and hours of education and employment were also captured. The results demonstrated statistically significant increases in wellbeing and hours of engagement at post-intervention. Individualised support was particularly effective in relation to wellbeing outcomes. However, hours of engagement in work, study, training, or volunteering were instead a function of time spent in the program. The results have implications for improvement in this and similar programs. While the social nature of individualised support may be particularly effective in improving wellbeing, there remains scope for long-term investment in community building to facilitate behavioural outcomes.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)612
Number of pages1
JournalANZMAC Conference Proceedings
Publication statusPublished - 2024
EventANZMAC 2024: AI for Sustainable Marketing: Bridging Innovation and Responsibility - University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
Duration: 2 Dec 20244 Dec 2024

Keywords

  • Youth, wellbeing
  • evaluation

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